OCTOBER 10, 2019
UIARGONAUT.COM
Alex Brizee | Argonaut
Cows graze near the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences farming and research facilities Wednesday on the University of Idaho’s campus.
AGRICULTURE
CALS facility pushes on Recent donation brings facility past the halfway point of fundraising goal Nicole Hindberg and Alexis Van Horn
ARGONAUT
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) is making strides in its fundraising effort to build a new meat science facility that will provide beneficial research, outreach opportunities and teaching opportunities for students in the Animal and Veterinary Science program. This facility will replace the current one, which was built in 1963. Building a new facility will allow for an opportunity to expand and create a more advanced facility with the most up to date equipment, said Assistant Professor of Meat Science Phil Bass. “It’s far more than just the research, this is a land grant university, that means we need to have a balance of research, extension and teaching,” Bass said. “What the new meat lab will allow us to do is just balance that better.” The plan is to have a small teaching classroom for labs and more opportunities
for interactions with professionals in this industry. Bass said their goal for professional interaction includes not just live animal and harvesting sectors of this field but within the restaurant community to tie everything together. “It’s amazing what the team can do out there right now with the humble facility that we have,” Bass said. “To get the new facility, we’ll be able to do everything that we’re already doing and do it more effectively and efficiently.” The new facility will provide a more efficient way for processing various types of meat and will allow for more innovation in this field. The facility is USDA certified, which requires a certain way of handling meat. “If you’re going to process fresh meat or process packaged meat, like sausages or other packaged materials, you need to be completely separate facilities,” Schoepflin said. “Right now, for example, if we’re butchering meat and we need to do sausages the next day we need to completely finish out that operation, clean out the facility, move in different equipment and then do the packaged meat and vice versa.”
Bass said with this new space, they wouldn’t have to stop the production employees are working on in order to fulfil the teaching and extension requirements of the land grant mission. Recently, The Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation donated a $1 million gift. The foundation is an Idahobased foundation that donates to projects that support Idaho as a whole. The president of this foundation, Harry Bettis, is very involved in the ranching and beef production industry in Idaho. Knowing what this facility will do for the community and state of Idaho, Bettis saw the facility as an investment for the industry, said CALS Director for Communications and Strategic Initiatives Carly Schoepflin. The new facility will move down the street from the current meat science center. It will be located on Perimeter Drive across from the parking lot near the Kibbie Dome. Schoepflin said she understands moving to a location closer to the center of campus will increase the visibility of the facility and, in turn, increase awareness about the work they do.
The estimated total cost for this facility is $8 million. The current amount raised for this facility is $4.725 million, putting them at just under 60% of the total cost. In order to get approved for building and the final design, they must show that they have raised 60% of the funds for the Idaho State Board of Education to approve the plans. Although they have not gone to the board yet, they are getting close, according to a CALS Agri Beef Center Progress report. Once they get to 80% of the funds raised, they can move to the construction process. Right now, there are no approved blueprints for the facility, just the conceptual renderings. Total donations amount to $2 million from Agri Beef Co, $1 million from the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, $500,000 from Tom Nicholson, $200,000 from Northwest Farm Credit Services and $25,000 from private individuals. CALS is hoping to have an opening for the facility in October 2023, according to the report. SEE FACILITY, PAGE 4
Community remembers Adam Seo OBITUARY
Friends and classmates reflect and celebrate the life of deceased UI student Ellen Dennis
ARGONAUT
Brianna Finnegan | Argonaut
UI students carries a candle in memory of Adam Seo.
Although the University of Idaho community mourns his loss, Adam Seo’s memory carries on through the lives he touched. Seo, a Boise native, was a senior majoring in chemistry in the College of Science and was active in the Air Force ROTC program. Seo was in his third year with the ROTC program on a full-tuition scholarship. He was the physical training leader for the cadets in UI’s program and would lead the group in training three times a week. “He would go above and beyond to help anyone and everyone he could,” said Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Michael Cain, who worked in the program alongside Seo. Seo died after injuries from a head-on collision which occurred Oct. 4, about 15 miles north of New Meadows on Highway 95. He leaves behind his parents, grandparents and an older sister. A fellow member of the ROTC program
and friend of Seo, Jerry Haldeman, reflected on Seo’s character on Tuesday morning at his candlelight remembrance vigil. “He was the ultimate wingman,” Haldeman said. “I was with him in Alabama over the summer at field training, and we already have so many comments about how much he cared about his people. His determination and eagerness to grow and succeed was overwhelming.” When Seo was not busy with school and ROTC, he spent time helping other students excel by tutoring in science and technology coursework. Some of these students said they attribute his help to them still being enrolled. “When I had events, he would come over and volunteer for most of them and just help me out with my homework or whatever I needed,” said Slade Castle, Seo’s roommate and close friend. “He was just always looking out for others.” Students impacted by Adam’s loss and needing assistance during this time should contact the Counseling & Testing Center at 208-885-6716. Ellen Dennis can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu
Brianna Finnegan | Argonaut
Students mourn the loss of Adam Seo in the Memorial Gymnasium Tuesday morning.
IN THIS ISSUE
Gypsy Java offers more than a cup of coffee to the Palouse. LIFE, 5 News, 1
Life, 5
Sports, 7
Opinion, 9
Idaho basketball prepares for transitions in the upcoming season. SPORTS, 7
Community inclusivity starts at the individual level Read our view. OPINION, 9
University of Idaho
Volume 121, Issue no. 40
Recyclable