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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2011 VOLUME 118 NUMBER 14 SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO SINCE 1893
nevadasagebrush.com First copy free, additional copies 50 each d b dditi l i 50 h
BREAKFAST IN RENO
Read
about
great yet
overlooked
things in
Reno, such
as Gold Dust Wests thrifty
breakfast.
Page A7
THATS WHAT SHE SAID
See how one
professor
is using
the
power of
improvisation to
improve the lives
of students.
Page A10
Tuition: Watch for updates
from a Thursday and Friday
meeting about a possible
fee increase.
Mens basketball: Keep up
with scores and statistics
from the game Friday against
Washington.
ONLINE THIS WEEK AT
NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
WEATHER FORECAST
Information gathered from the University of Nevada, Reno chapter of
the American Meteorological Society.
Follow @TheSagebrush for breaking news updates
BREAKFAST IN RENO
ad
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TUESDAY
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WEDNESDAY
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WEEKEND
Tuition could
rise next year
Breaking the bank
School plans to
end re program
Sexual assaults increase, stay unsolved
By Riley Snyder
The groping of two University
of Nevada, Reno students since
the beginning of summer has
concerned the institutions
police services but remains
unsolved.
One groping happened near
the 200 block of University Ter-
race during the summer and
the other happened in an alley
between Eighth, Ninth, Sierra
and Virginia streets. So far, no
suspects have been identied
for either case, University of Ne-
vada, Reno Police Department
Cmdr. Todd Renwick said.
Because such crimes usually
happen at a low frequency, the
increase could potentially be
evidence of an emerging pat-
tern, Renwick said.
I would say its right in the
middle of an anomaly and re-
vealing a trend, he said.
Although there isnt any hard
evidence connecting the two
cases, police noticed simi-
larities in how the attacks were
performed and the physical
descriptions of the suspects,
Renwick said. Investigations
into the gropings have been
met with little public assistance.
Ofcers have been able to glean
little information from video
surveillance and canvassing the
area for potential witnesses, he
said.
Identifying suspects after
sexual crimes can be difcult be-
cause traumatized victims often
have difculty noticing identify-
ing traits from the perpetrator,
Reno Police Department Lt. Mo-
hammed Rafaqat said. However,
ofcers from both UNRPD and
Reno Police Department often
share information in order to
help identify patterns of attack,
he said.
Anything sexual in nature
is very important to us and is a
priority, Rafaqat said.
As a whole, Nevadans are
more susceptible to sexual as-
sault, Nevada Coalition Against
Sexual Violence President Ben
Felix said. Rape happens to
Nevadans with a frequency
about 8 percent higher than the
national average, Felix said. Col-
lege campuses are also targets
because of the large numbers of
16-24 year old women, who are
By Ben Miller
Nevada higher education
leaders will consider raising tu-
ition and fees for the University
of Nevada, Reno for the 2012-13
academic year at a meeting this
week, a measure students said
could make college more dif-
cult for them to afford and for
prospective students to reach.
UNR interim President Marc
Johnson said the proposal could
put the average undergradu-
ate yearly tuition at $6,008, up
from about $5,300 currently.
The increased price is about
$180 lower than the median
price of institutions in Western
states last year, a number the
president said has increased.
But according to Associated
Students of the University of
Nevada President Casey Stiteler,
fee spikes could close doors for
locals who want to go to college
in Nevada.
I think it is a little bit of an is-
sue when weve got students who
their only concern is whether or
not they can afford to go to school
here, and then weve got the
administrators and the regents
talking about whether or not its
just cheaper than California, he
said. California or Oregon or
By Riley Snyder
University administrators will
submit a proposal to close the
institutions Fire Science Acad-
emy to the higher education
leaders at a meeting Thursday
and Friday.
The academy, located about
250 miles east of the main cam-
pus in Carlin, has spent about a
decade attempting to get itself
out of $36 million in debt, FSA
Executive Director Denise Ba-
clawski said. But nine years of
continual nancial issues and
student payment toward the
academy have left the university
with few options, University of
Nevada, Reno interim President
Marc Johnson said.
If you run something so
close to the operating margin
that youre just barely covering
your expenses, not taking care
of overhead and all that sort of
thing, then the least little thing
comes up and poof, youre in
trouble again, and youre gener-
ating more debt, Johnson said.
And the university just cant af-
ford to take on a lot more debt.
In the 2009-10 academic
year, a full-time undergradu-
ate students annual tuition
was about $4,163.
This year, that number has
increased to $5,317.
In the 2012-13 academic
year, if higher education lead-
ers pass a University of Ne-
vada, Reno fee increase pro-
posal, the same gure could
be as high as $6,008.
I th 2009 10 d i
PAST FEE INCREASES
By Stephen Ward
S
ince his freshman year of high
school, Robert del Carlo knew he
wanted to be a neurosurgeon.
Aware of the price of education
attached to his dream, he scraped together
all the money he could and worked multiple
jobs to pay for school. He managed to enroll
at the University of Nevada, Reno last year
with about $6,000 in savings.
I always knew I wanted to go to school,
he said. I dont know if it was necessarily
what my mom had said, or if it was some
kind of family intent, but every Christmas,
every birthday, every time I would get any
kind of money I would put it in an account.
Every penny except for gas money went into
that account.
Soon, the 19-year-old neuroscience major
will have to do something he wanted to
stave off until graduate school apply for
a student loan.
The loan will be challenging but manage-
able for del Carlo. Attending Truckee Mead-
ows Community College and its magnet
high school tamped down the cost. With
an estimated $6,000 in debt by the time he
graduates in 2014, hell miss the average
student debt level in Nevada of $16,622 in
debt (according to the Institute for College
Access and Success) with room to stretch.
Compared with the national average of
$25,250, hell fare even better.
But his story doesnt end there.
Despite the nancial hurdles, del Carlo
remains sure of his goal. He has his academic
future lined up and refuses to stray from the
path. To receive the best education for his
eld, hell go to the University of California,
San Francisco, where he expects the cost of
his education to wrack up $400,000 in debt,
not including the cost of living. He plans to
pay for his higher education almost entirely
with student loans.
Thats a beautiful Aston Martin right
there, quipped del Carlo, a self-proclaimed
car enthusiast.
In this sense, del Carlo is similar to many
students across the United States who shell
out thousands of dollars to attend college.
Whether its a way to evade the sluggish
See TUITION Page A5
See LOANS Page A5
is the average amount
of debt among college
students in Nevada in
2010.
$1 trillion
is the average amount
of debt among college
students in the United
States in 2010.
is the level of outstanding
student loan debt that the
United States is expected to
exceed this year.
is the proportion of college
students in the United
States who graduated with
loans in 2010.
2/3
8.8%
is the percentage change in the national student loan default rate from 2008-09.
$25,250
$16,622
COURTESYOFTHEUNIVERSITYOFNEVADA, RENO
Fireghters train at the Fire Science Academy. If closed, only one
location for advanced re training in the nation would remain open.
FIRE IMPACTS STUDENTS
See GROPING Page A5
ILLUSTRATIONBYTARAVERDEROSAANDLAURENDICK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
See FIRE Page A5
FIRE SCIENCE ACADEMY
For the full proposal
to close the Fire Science
Academy, go online.
NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
F th f ll l
ONLINE
Members of the University of Nevada, Reno
community took action during the Caughlin Fire.
For more on how the blaze in southwest Reno
impacted students, go to A4.
RILEYSNYDER /NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Source: the Institute for College Access and Success
Growing student loan debt creates future obstacles
By Ben Miller
As the University of Nevada,
Reno considers changes that
could turn three Greek organiza-
tions into clubs, an undergradu-
ate student government senator
is working to help the groups
regain status as social chapters.
The proposed changes mean
the university would change
the statuses of the Lambda Psi
Rho and Nu Phi fraternities and
Lambda Phi Xi sorority from
social Greek chapters to UNR
clubs. Greek Life Coordinator
Jeanine Menolascino said the
rules are partially necessary to
bring the institutions policies
into agreement with federal law.
But Shirley Diaz, College of
Liberal Arts representative in
the Associated Students of the
University of Nevada Senate and
president of Lambda Phi Xi, said
the designation of those groups
as social Greek chapters instead
of clubs makes a difference in
what the groups do. Clubs dont
always participate in philan-
thropy like Greek groups do, and
arent held to the same academic
standards, she said. Also, the
ability of groups to provide a
social atmosphere is important
to the student experience.
Sometimes with organiza-
tions that are already established,
students dont feel that they t
into those organizations, she
said. So then they have the op-
portunity to create their own.
Diaz is focusing on two pieces
of legislation that would open
doors for non-national Greek
chapters at UNR to meet the
new policies. One would be a
resolution urging administra-
tors to help groups establish
a multi-chapter structure, a
Title IX requirement. The other
is a bill that would loosen bud-
get restrictions to assist chapters
with satisfying UNRs $2 million
insurance requirement.
Navigating this path toward
full university recognition is of-
ten a struggle for budding Greek
chapters, Diaz said.
Organizations that dont
have nationals, they are starting
everything from scratch, she
said. Its all new to them and
theres a chance they wont be on
time or ... they wont understand
how to do everything correctly.
So theyre denitely at a huge
disadvantage.
The requirement to keep a
multi-chapter board is necessary
for the universitys rules to align
with federal anti-discrimination
legislation, Menolascino said.
Though the institutions history
of enforcement is unclear, the
current policies do not reect
Title IX requirements. The legis-
lation set aside fraternities and
sororities as some of the only
groups in the United States with
the ability to discriminate based
on gender. It also required that
such organizations maintain
status as a legal nonprot group
and follow the lodge system,
which the Nevada Revised
Statutes denes as having a gov-
erning body with subordinate
groups that meet at least once a
month.
Menolascino said UNR might
not have employed the appropri-
ate staff in the past to examine
its policies and see that it wasnt
holding social organizations to
federal standards.
Despite the gap in federal
compliance, the alignment is
nonetheless necessary, she said.
As a university we cant just
grant single-sex status to groups
who want to be single gendered
just by allowing them to go in
agreeance with us as a social
fraternal organization, Meno-
lascino said.
Other Greek groups around the
country have run into problems
with Title IX compliance and
insurance in recent years, she
said. But problems might have
already cleared up for many.
President and CEO of the North
American Interfraternity Con-
ference Peter Smithhisler said
the last cases he can remember
of such problems was about a
decade ago. Kyle Niederpruem,
a spokeswoman for the National
Panhellenic Conference, said
all sororities in the association
have insurance coverage.
Ben Miller can be reached at
bmiller@nevadasagebrush.com.
news
nevadasagebrush.com
A2 NOVEMBER 29, 2011
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Contributing Staffers:
Jenna Benson, Ben Clark, Nathan Conover,
Tony Contini, Brent Coulter, Casey Durkin,
Joel Edwards, Lukas Eggen, Amy Harris,
Lauren Hober, Leanne Howard, Thomas
Levine, Michael Lingberg, Jennifer Mabus,
Raquel Monserat, Brin Reynolds, Marcus
Sacchetti, Devin Sizemore, Steph Smith,
Caitlin Thomas, Cory Thomas, Eric Uribe,
Sabrina Valdez, Austin Wallis, Aaron
Weitzman, Zoe Wentzel, Kyle Wise, Charlie
Woodman
VOLUME 118 ISSUE 14
Student voice of the University of
Nevada, Reno since 1893.
editor@nevadasagebrush.com
Editor in Chief Juan Lpez
News Editor Ben Miller
bmiller@nevadasagebrush.com
Managing Editor Stephen Ward
sward@nevadasagebrush.com
Sports Editor Eric Lee Castillo
ecastillo@nevadasagebrush.com
A & E Editor Casey OLear
colear@nevadasagebrush.com
Opinion Editor Enjolie Esteve
eesteve@nevadasagebrush.com
Design Editor Tara Verderosa
tverderosa@nevadasagebrush.com
gvalenzuela@nevadasagebrush.com
Photo Editor Garrett Valenzuela
Copy Editor Chanelle Bessette
cbessette@nevadasagebrush.com
Copy Editor Oanh Luc
Assistant News Editor Riley Snyder
rsnyder@nevadasagebrush.com
CONTACT US:
Ofce: 775-784-4033
Fax: 775-327-5334
Mail Stop 058 Reno, NV 89557
The Nevada Sagebrush is a newspaper operated
by and for the students of the University of
Nevada, Reno. The contents of this newspaper
do not necessarily reect those opinions of the
university or its students. It is published by the
students of the University of Nevada, Reno and
printed by the Sierra Nevada Media Group.

ADVERTISING: For information about
display advertising and rates, please call the
Advertising Department at 775-784-7773 or email
adnevadasales@gmail.com.
In the Nov. 15 article, TV
broadcasters death raises
safety issues, The Nevada
Sagebrush printed that
JK Metzkers friends were
across the street when he
stepped into it. Metzker
was already in the street.
Also, the intoxication of
the driver who hit Metz-
ker hasnt been proven in a
court of law.
In the Nov. 15 article,
Committee pushes for
more blue light phones,
The Nevada Sagebrush
wrote that members of the
committee had stopped try-
ing to install the blue light
kiosks. The senators are still
working on the project, but
are considering alternative
funding methods.
The Nevada Sagebrush
xes mistakes. If you nd an
error, email
editor@nevadasagebrush.com.
Inthe Nov 15article TV
CORRECTIONS
Ofce Manager Beverly Vermillion
bvermillion@nevadasagebrush.com
Advertising Ofce Weston Lippia
adnevadasales@gmail.com
oluc@nevadasagebrush.com
Copy Editor Alex Malone
amalone@nevadasagebrush.com
Illustrator Jett Chapman
jettchapman@gmail.com
Attorney
General
to resign
Staff Report
The attorney general of the
undergraduate student gov-
ernment will resign Dec. 16,
potentially leaving the group
without an ofcial voice to
interpret its laws.
Christina Gunn, attorney
general for the Associated
Students of the University of
Nevada, is graduating with a
degree in secondary education
this fall and will leave Reno the
day after her ofcial resigna-
tion, she said in an email. She
was aware of her graduation
date when she applied for the
president-appointed position.
I felt that what I had to offer
the position was worth apply-
ing for the job and working
for the Association while pos-
sible, Gunn said in an email.
The resignation comes
before the ASUN elections, a
time of typically high activity
for the position. Last year, for-
mer Attorney General Trevor
Macaluso brought charges
against four people for violat-
ing portions of election code,
according to the associations
website.
Speaker of the ASUN Senate
Joe Broad said applications
for the position will close on
Dec. 7. However, the Senate
might not conrm a new at-
torney general until the spring
semester.
Gunn served as the director
of programming last school
year before taking on the
position of attorney general.
She applied for her present
position after becoming more
familiar with the associations
laws during her time on the
Flipside events programming
board, Gunn said. During
that time, she developed an
interest in making those laws
more efcient. This semester,
she helped the ASUN Senate
identify and change many
redundant sections of the
Statutes of the Associated
Students.
The news desk can be reached at
news@nevadasagebrush.com.
ASUN reaches out to
prospective leaders
By Ben Miller
When the undergraduate
student Senate held its elec-
tions in March, the ballot
remained empty for the College
of Agriculture, Biotechnology
and Natural Resources. No stu-
dents campaigned to represent
the college, which had been a
target for budget reductions in
the past. Candidates for three
other colleges ran unopposed
because of a lack of competi-
tion for the seats.
This year, Speaker of the As-
sociated Students of the Univer-
sity of Nevada Senate Joe Broad
is recruiting members-at-large,
a position the association has
overlooked in years past, to x
the problem.
Members-at-large are stu-
dents the Senate has appointed
to give input into the legislative
process. They do not vote, but
have the ability to provide
representation for the Sen-
ates constituents. This year,
the Senate has more than 10
members-at-large, something
the Director of ASUN Sandy
Rodriguez said she has never
seen in the body in her 14 years
at the university.
On Nov. 16, the Senate passed
a resolution that raised the
maximum number of members-
at-large from about 39 to 45.
Broad said he hopes the
members-at-large will develop
an interest in campaigning for
the Senate next year as well as
familiarity that will help them
hit the ground running.
Unfortunately we see people
running for ASUN positions who
arent familiar with the policies,
the procedures that affects
the way they campaign and the
way they choose to spend their
time while in ofce, he said.
Rodriguez has seen the pro-
cess of new senators learning
the ropes many times. Senators
who already have experience
dealing with the process behind
the association including the
41,800-word statutes, the 2,600-
word constitution and Roberts
Rules of Order tend to move
faster when it comes to solving
problems, she said.
Imram Hussain, an 18-year-
old biochemistry and molecular
biology major, is one member-
at-large who is considering
running for the Senate next
year. Hussain said he used the
position to see if being a senator
would be a good t for him. Af-
ter getting a behind-the-scenes
look at some issues facing the
student body, he decided it
was.
One memorable incident for
him was a presentation given
by the director of campus well-
ness and recreation explaining
why Lombardi Recreation
Center needed a fee increase
in 2013. In the speech, Hussain
saw comparisons between
Lombardi and local gyms that
surprised him.
I knew I was getting a good
deal from Lombardi, but I didnt
know I was getting a great deal,
he said. And I had actually had
a dry spell, I hadnt been to the
gym in a couple weeks. So I said,
You know what? Im going to go
just from that.
College of Liberal Arts Sena-
tor Darryl Deraedt decided
to run for his position after
participating in a Senate task
force last year that provided
input to the body. During
his tenure in the position, he
developed an interest in the
problems facing the university
and helped come up with ideas
to address them.
But for students who dont
have direct contact with ASUN,
whether on a task force or as a
member-at-large, input usually
doesnt make it to the ears of the
Senate, he said.
As a student, unless you
voice it, theres not going to
be anything you can do about
those ideas, Deraedt said. You
keep them to yourself.
Ben Miller can be reached at
bmiller@nevadasagebrush.com.
Senate could protect Greeks
FILEPHOTO/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
The Lambda Phi Xi Sorority step team performs a routine at a past Stompin With the Pack step show put on
by the Multicultural Greek Council. The sorority could lose its status as a social Greek chapter in the future.
Assistant Sports Editor Now Hiring
editor@nevadasagebrush.com
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Sagebrush staff?
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Central account
@TheSagebrush
Editor in Chief: Juan Lpez
@JuanVLopez
Managing Editor: Stephen Ward
@Srmward
Sports Editor: Eric Castillo
@EricLeeCastillo
Assistant News Editor: Riley
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@RileySnyder
Design Editor: Tara Verderosa
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For a full listing:
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calendar
WEDNESDAY/30
DOCUMENTARY SCREEN-
ING: PATAGONIA RISING
When: 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: The Theatre on the
third oor of the Joe Crowley
Student Union
The Student Association for
International Water Issues is
sponsoring the screening of
the documentary Patago-
nia Rising: A Frontier Story
of Water and Power. The
Pantagonia region of Chile
has been in the middle of a
conict to build ve large hy-
droelectric dams on two local
rivers, a move that could
forever alter the culture and
environment of the area. The
Screening is free.
For more information, visit
www.PatagoniaRising.com.
THURSDAY/1
THEATER: THE BEACH
PLAYS
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Church Fine Arts
Redeld Studio Theater
The Nevada Repertory
Company will assist in the
performance and production
of The Beach Plays, which
is a series of 15 short plays,
each set in the same beach
location. The plays were orig-
inally written by Playwrights
Unit at the HB Playwrights
Foundation and are all about
10 minutes in length. Tickets
are $5 at the door.
For more information, contact
CJ Walters at 775-784-4278.
MONDAY/5
UNIVERSITY WIND EN-
SEMBLE
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Church Fine Arts
Nightingale Concert Hall
For their last concert of the
semester, the ensemble will
pay tribute to the work of
composer Clifton Williams,
who died 1976. Faculty Mem-
ber and trumpeter Paul Q.
Lenz will join the ensemble
for a portion of the event, and
will perform the trumpet por-
tions of Williams Dramatic
Essay. The event is free.
For more information,
contact CJ Walters at 775-
784-4278.
Campus
Events
STUDENT UNION COLLECTS PRESENTS FOR LOCAL LOW-INCOME CHILDREN
CAMPUS NEWS
PSYCHOLOGY:
UNIVERSITY AWARDS FIRST
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AWARD
TO BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
PROFESSOR
Faculty at the University of Nevada,
Reno have selected psychology profes-
sor Linda Hayes as the rst recipient of
an award that honors contributions to
global education, according to a state-
ment from the university.
The selection of Hayes for the Global
Engagement award at a Nov. 17 cer-
emony is a recognition of her scholarly
contributions and application of her
studies in psychology, the statement
said. Hayes, who has worked at UNR
for more than 20 years, is the founder
of the behavior analysis program at
the university and has used grants to
research autism treatment.
The award came with a $1,500 prize,
which Hayes said in the statement she
plans to use to fund a student trip to
Spain and a project in Jordan.
MUSIC:
CHORAL STUDIES APPOINTS
NEW DIRECTOR
The Department of Music has an-
nounced Paul Torkelson as its new
director of choral studies, according to
a statement released Tuesday from the
university.
Torkelson was conductor of the choir
at Wartburg College in Iowa for 25 years
and holds a doctorate degree in musical
arts from the University of Colorado,
the statement said.
Torkelson said in the statement that
he accepted the position because he
missed working with students. His
position will make him the conductor
of the symphonic choir and chamber
chorale. He also will teach classes in
choral methods and conducting, the
statement said.
Torkelson will kick off his career at
the University of Nevada, Reno with a
free performance of George Frideric
Handels Messiah on Tuesday in the
Nightingale Concert Hall in Church
Fine Arts.
NATIONAL HIGHER
EDUCATION NEWS
AGRICULTURE:
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
PROFESSOR PROJECTS FOOD
DEMAND WILL DOUBLE BY 2050
A professor at the University of Min-
nesota predicted Nov. 21 that global
food demand could double in the next
40 years, according to a statement from
the institution.
UM ecology professor David Tilman
said the increasing production could
mean serious problems if agricultural
technology doesnt spread to poor coun-
tries and if nitrogen fertilizers arent
used more efciently.
Agricultures greenhouse gas emis-
sions could double by 2050 if current
trends in global food production con-
tinue, Tilman said in the statement.
Global agriculture already accounts
for a third of all greenhouse gas emis-
sions.
Technology used in more wealthy na-
tions could help developing countries
get more out of existing land instead
of expanding farming operations to
larger areas, he said. According to the
statement, crop yields in rich countries
were 300 percent higher than in poor
countries in 2005.
UNR POLICE BLOTTER
THURSDAY, 11/24/11:
Police responded to a report of petit lar-
ceny of a bicycle at the Reynolds School
of Journalism.
Ofcers arrested an individual for an
outstanding warrant at East Ninth and
North Virginia streets.
TUESDAY, 11/22/11:
Police responded to a report of embez-
zlement at Fitzgerald Student Services
Building.
MONDAY, 11/21/11:
Ofcers responded to a report of
destruction of property of a window at
Ansari Business Building.
Police responded to a report of grand
larceny of a hot saw at 1664 N. Virginia
St.
Ofcers arrested an individual for
trespassing at the Joe Crowley Student
Union.
SUNDAY, 11/20/11:
Police responded to a report of an alco-
hol violation at Argenta Hall.
SATURDAY, 11/19/11:
Ofcers responded to a report of petit
larceny of a purse and currency at
Argenta Hall.
Police arrested an individual for driving
under the inuence at North Virginia
and 14th streets.
FRIDAY, 11/18/11:
Police responded to a report of commer-
cial burglary of clothing and blankets at
Mackay Stadium.
Ofcers responded to a report of petit
larceny of a wallet, a shing and hunt-
ing license, a student ID and currency at
the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center.
THURSDAY, 11/17/11:
Police responded to a report of com-
mercial burglary at 1 Verdi Peak Rd.
Ofcers responded to a report of pos-
session of a controlled substance and
minor in possession and consumption
at Lincoln Hall.
WEDNESDAY, 11/16/11:
Police responded to a report of petit
larceny at Edmund J. Cain Hall.
TUESDAY, 11/15/11:
Police responded to a report of petit
larceny at Manzanita Hall.
STEPHENWARD/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Staff at the Joe Crowley Student Union are asking the public to donate gifts for students at a local high-risk, low-income elementary school, Joe Programmer Claudia Agbor-
Bessem said. Union staff will remove the tree Saturday, but Agbor-Bessem said they might extend the trees presence on the rst oor of the building. To participate in the
program, donors can choose a cutout on the tree, buy the gift the child has listed and bring it to the JCSUs front desk.
News Roundup
nevadasagebrush.com NOVEMBER 29, 2011
A3
Weekly Update
Check out asun.nevadasagebrush.com for our live blog of Associated Students of the University of Nevada Senate meetings, regularly scheduled for 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
ASUN THIS WEEK
The Senate will discuss a
resolution to abolish any mention
of Roberts Rules of Order.
5:30 p.m. Wednesday, JCSU Senate Chambers
thisweekTHEYLEARNEDTHEIMPERFECTVERBSINITALIAN,
STUDIEDTHE
ANDMADEGNOCCHIINA
INTERNATIONALMARKETINGPROJECT
FOUR-CHEESESAUCE.
POLITICSOFTHEEU,WORKEDONAN
whatareyoudoingthisweek?
Discover where youll study abroad at usac.unr.edu
By Ben Miller
When Josh Hope looked out
over the fence at the end of his
backyard at about 1:45 a.m. on
Nov. 18 and saw a massive wall
of re approaching the hill lead-
ing to his house, one thought
raced through his mind.
I had a chem test at 8 a.m.,
recounted Hope, a 21-year-old
community health sciences
major.
Then his mind shifted gears
how would he and his father
protect the house? The crest of
the hill and a metal fence stood
about 35 feet from his home.
There were two 40-foot-tall pine
trees the re could jump onto. If
they soaked the trees and kept
embers out of the yard, they
could avoid destruction.
For about the next three hours,
Hope and his father fought back
the advancing ame with a
hose. The inferno, whipped into
a frenzy with gusts of wind up to
80 miles per hour, came within
20 feet of the house.
They were one of the only
families on Piccadilly Street,
a small offshoot of Skyline
Boulevard in south Reno, not
to evacuate. One house on the
street almost completely burned
down and charred the fences of
a few others. Hope kept looking
at his father and asking if it was
time to pack up and leave, but
he assured him: As long as the
trees didnt burn, they were ne.
It wasnt the rst time Hope
had experienced his fathers
unwavering calmness, and to a
certain extent it rubbed off on
him. Even in the face of danger,
the two have an attitude that
speaks to the inevitability of a
situations outcome.
Me and my dad, we dont
get scared, he said. The best
way I can describe it is, we were
driving home from hunting one
day he slid off the road and
launched his truck like 10 feet
across a ditch. And we rode it
out, we were able to get out of
the ditch. But just before it hap-
pened, hes like Hold on, this
might hurt. And thats how we
both are.
Finally, at about 5 a.m., the
pair felt as though they were safe.
Hope went to bed, determined
to do well on his test. But he was
repeatedly woken as reghters
and reporters scoured the area.
He made it to his chemistry
test, running on a few hours of
sleep, an energy drink and a sug-
ary mufn.
I know I did horribly, Hope
said. I was like sitting there and
literally staring at the pages, just
like, I know I studied this. What
is it?
Ben Miller can be reached at
bmiller@nevadasagebrush.com.
Student battles re, keeps house untouched
nevadasagebrush.com NOVEMBER 29, 2011
A4
Caughlin Fire
Help desk employee keeps
public informed with map
ASUN donates to re victims
By Riley Snyder
It was about 4 a.m. when
Misha Rays anc woke her
and told her that a re was
consuming part of Reno.
Ray, who works as the direc-
tor of public relations for the
Associated Students of the
University of Nevada, checked
the Reno Gazette-Journal
through her phone and was
immediately taken aback with
the vastness of the re.
Sitting on her bed, Ray began
scouring local media outlets
and Twitter for information
about the blaze until going back
to sleep about an hour later.
This wasnt the rst time Ray
had dealt with re. She worked
as a logistics dispatcher for the
Bureau of Land Management in
Northern Nevada the past four
summers, helping gather and
send out information about
wildres in the areas around
Winnemucca, Battle Mountain
and Tonopah.
However, it wasnt until last
summer that she dealt with a
re that could threaten homes,
and the experience frightened
her.
Usually were just in the
middle of nowhere ghting
grass and trying to prevent
the growth, Ray said. So that
aspect was stressful for me be-
cause I had never really had to
deal with houses. I was putting
myself in the dispatch ofce
thinking how I would feel if
there were houses involved and
being destroyed.
After learning about the re,
ASUN President Casey Stiteler
emailed Ray asking her if a
donation drive for items to go
toward victims of the re was
possible.
Ray decided to run with the
idea and sent out information
about the event through social
media outlets. After working at
another job for several hours,
she had no idea what to expect
in terms of student response to
the announcement, Ray said.
I walked into the room when
other people were bringing in
stuff, and I was almost moved
to tears by it, Ray said. We
had only announced it on Twit-
ter four hours earlier that we
were doing this, and people all
over campus were bringing in
things.
On the ASUN Facebook page,
the group announced it had
collected 1 truck load and
1 van full of donated items,
ranging from water to blankets
to food.
ASUN also offered special
help to students who were di-
rectly impacted by the tragedy.
Although none of her family
or friends lived in the area, Ray
said her efforts to help those
the re had affected were an
example of Renos tight-knit
community. After spending the
entirety of Friday coordinating
the drive and spreading infor-
mation about the re, Ray said
the experience was entirely
worth it.
It just felt like the right thing
to do, she said.
Riley Snyder can be reached at
rsnyder@nevadasagebrush.com.
By Ben Miller
Bryce Leinan shared the con-
fusion he noticed around the
Internet as reports of a growing
re in southwest Reno emerged
at about 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 18. On
Facebook, people were posting
statuses curious about exactly
where the blaze was.
But with the click of a button,
the man who lived more than
30 miles driving distance from
the inferno began a process
that would help people gather
information about it in seconds
no matter where they lived.
Leinan created a map using
Google technology.
Ive had a computer since
I was six, so the computing
comes kind of second nature,
said Leinan, a senior help desk
technician at the Mathewson-
IGT Knowledge Center at the
University of Nevada, Reno.
This is the rst time, however,
Id ever done anything like this
it kind of came on a whim.
Seeking information to mark
the boundaries of the re, the
28-year-old general studies ma-
jor listened closely to the Reno
areas police scanner channel
online. But the amount of trafc
coming over it was overwhelm-
ing, he said.
So Leinan opened the map to
the public for editing, a tech-
nique known as crowdsourcing.
Later, users of the map would
tell him that he might have cre-
ated the rst crowdscourced re
map.
Usage of the tool exploded.
Eventually reaching more than
600,000 views, users began
marking spots on the map where
they had seen re and updating
the locations of evacuation cen-
ters. Comments began pouring
in, thanking him for creating it
and offering to help him spread
information.
After everything, Leinan said
he is happy that the map seems
to have helped people in a time
of need.
I personally think it prob-
ably did save lives, having it, he
said.
Leinan said he wouldnt
hesitate to create a similar map
for res in the future, but that
he might not crowdsource it
because of instances of false
information that cropped up.
Instead, he would leave the ed-
iting to members of the media
and those with direct knowledge
about the event.
It was very invaluable,
Leinan said. Comment after
comment said how invaluable
the map was.
Ben Miller can be reached at
bmiller@nevadasagebrush.com.
COURTESYOFJOSHHOPE
Fire approaches University of Nevada, Reno student Josh Hopes
house on Nov. 18.
news NOVEMBER 29, 2011 A5
nevadasagebrush.com
the most frequent targets of
sexual assault, Outreach and
Awareness Coordinator of the
Jean Nidetch Womens Center
at the University of Nevada,
Las Vegas Many sexual assaults
often go unreported, which
distorts statistics about similar
crimes, Felix said.
There are issues of battery
and harassment that dont rise
to the level of being reported,
he said. (And) because it deals
with sex or sexuality, this is not
a topic people rally around
because its a taboo issue.
There are several resources
available on campus for pre-
venting similar crimes from
happening, Renwick said.
These include Campus Escort,
the Student Cadets program,
self-defense classes offered by
campus police and the blue
light system, he said.
Carol Oswald, an 18-year-old
journalism major, said she feels
safe on campus. But because
she has to park her car in the
parking garage at Circus Circus
Reno and doesnt get out of class
until 6 p.m., Oswald said she
feels less safe heading back.
Night is a kind of security
concern, Oswald said.
Riley Snyder can be reached at
rsnyder@nevadasagebrush.com.
UNR students pay a $6.50
per credit fee to help pay off
portions of the debt, but the
report recommends splitting
that fee into a $2.50 fee to
continue paying off debt, while
the additional money would go
to future on-campus projects.
The fee has been in place since
2002.
Closing the facility would
mean a loss of about $4
million and laying off about 26
employees, the proposal said.
But according to the report,
the sale of the property and
equipment from the site could
cut the debt substantially and
allow for decreased student
payments.
The problems began when
the facility was moved to
its current location in 1999,
Baclawski said. Issues with the
initial construction as well as an
unachievable business model
meant the facility was doomed
from the start, she said.
Any other business would
have exited the marketplace,
Baclawski said.
Losing the academy would
leave only one facility in the
country to train industrial
reghters at an advanced level,
Baclawski said. And because
that program, which is located
at Texas A&M University,
doesnt have enough capacity
to completely ll the need for
industrial-trained reghters,
a shortage could emerge, she
said.
Thats going to be a pretty big
blip on the radar when we exit
the marketplace, Baclawski
said.
The Board discussed closing
the facility in 2008, but decided
to give the facility a three-year
window to come up with an
alternative nancing plan,
Chairman of the Board of
Regents Jason Geddes said.
Although the continued
existence continued to plague
students, the time span was
necessary to nalize deals to
decrease the nancial burden,
he said.
I think it was a good decision
at the time, Geddes said. (But)
Ive always hated that they
charged the students for the
facility.
For the area around the
academy, the loss will have a
negative economic impact, Elko
County Commissioner Glen
Guttry said. The site, which was
moved from Stead to Carlin
about 10 years ago because of
noise and pollution complaints,
would cause the county to lose
about $5 million in revenue, he
said.
Both Elko County and Carlin
contributed nancially to relief
efforts three years ago in an
effort to keep the facility open,
Guttry said. But a decade of
nancial burden and increasing
debt meant the academy was
a better concept than fully-
realized project, he said.
It was a chance for us to
diversify our economy a little,
Guttry said. It was just cursed
from the beginning.
Ben Miller contributed to
this report. Riley Snyder can
be reached at rsnyder@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
Washington or Utah if those
places are already more expen-
sive, then those places arent
even on the map for some of
Nevadas students. So why are
we constantly continuing to
compare ourselves?
Johnson will present a pro-
posal that includes plans for a
5, 8 or 13 percent increase to
the Nevada System of Higher
Education Board of Regents.
The document emphasizes
hiring faculty to decrease class
sizes in high-demand programs
such as psychology and biol-
ogy. It will also spend millions
on strengthening strategic sec-
tors jewels in the crown, as
Johnson calls them.
As is customary, the univer-
sity will put 15 percent of the
increase toward financial aid.
However, Stiteler said this may
not be enough, as the states
Millennium Scholarship fund
and federal financial aid face
threats of diminished funding.
For some students, the ben-
efits of another fee increase are
acceptable. Dario Callegari, a
27-year-old MBA student who
has seen numerous tuition
spikes in his six-year history
at UNR, said he supports the
move as long as it produces
the results administrators are
aiming for.
It wont discourage me from
coming to UNR, Callegari said.
Im here to get my degree. But
it is something to be aware of,
be cognizant of, if I dont see
changes and I just see a con-
stant increase.
Angela DeNardo, an 18-year-
old pre-nursing major, said it
would increase the nancial
burden she already struggles
with in paying for her education.
DeNardo, a freshman, is paying
her own way through college
but has to rely on her parents to
pay for this semesters tuition.
She is working 30 hours per
week while paying them back.
The increase could force her
to pick up a second job and
reconsider which classes she is
taking, she said.
Im definitely going to take
fewer credits, DeNardo said.
I was thinking about taking
fun credits like maybe drawing
and stuff I like or dance. But
now, with this increase, I guess
Im not.
Johnson announced the
proposal to the ASUN Senate
on Nov. 16, about two weeks
before the Board of Regents
meeting. At the meeting, Stiteler
expressed surprise that student
leaders werent informed ear-
lier of the statewide decision to
pursue a fee hike.
Chair of the Board of Regents
Jason Geddes said NSHE has
been planning on the fee
increase for some time. When
the state Legislature adjourned
in June, it asked only for the
system to increase its fees by
13 percent once. But doing so
would have left higher educa-
tion institutions with larger
budget holes to fill amid state
funding reductions, so NSHE
leaders decided to pursue a
second increase, Geddes said.
I can only assume a mis-
communication on my part,
he said. (In June) we had a
discussion about the second
13 (percent), and we said we
would talk about it in the fall.
Stiteler said the announce-
ment was nevertheless disap-
pointing.
Even though it was kind of
a misunderstanding, I think
it was a disservice to students
that weve gotten to this point,
he said. We walked away with
the feeling that this would be a
one-time thing.
The Board of Regents could
vote for any of the universitys
proposals, a different percent-
age increase or no increase at
all, Johnson said.
It is not uncommon for the
board to vote for fee increases
several years in a row, he said,
as the Regents voted for two
10 percent increases in 2009
and 2010 and then another 13
percent spike for this academic
year.
Ben Miller can be reached at
bmiller@nevadasgebrush.com.
economy or a call to some
greater good (as in del Carlos
case), the amount of loans stu-
dents have taken out has grown
exponentially within the last
ve years. By the end of the year,
outstanding student loan debt
will exceed $1 trillion more
than the outstanding credit
card debt level in the United
States, according to the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York.
And unless measures are
taken to curb the growing
student loan default rate, the
number could translate into
an expensive problem for the
country, according to UNR De-
partment of Economics chair
Elliott Parker.
When students dont pay back
their loans, the loan provider
loses expected income. In the
case of federally backed stu-
dent loans, the cash-strapped
government bears the brunt.
As of 2009, the most recent
year for which economic data
is available, the Department of
Education tallied the average
default rate for student loans
in the country at 8.8 percent.
Thats a 7 percent increase from
the previous year.
The percentage of student
borrowers as a share of the
overall lending market is still
pretty small, Parker said. Its
not a real threatening problem,
but its still expensive.
According to Tim Wolfe, direc-
tor of the Ofce of Financial Aid
on campus, Nevadas average
default rate of 3.8 percent lies
below the national average.
Parker said it was important
to understand the student loan
issue is not a bubble, as some
media outlets have deemed it.
Something needs to be an asset
in order to earn that expression,
Parker said. Moreover, the
consumer needs to purchase
the asset with the expectation
that its price will rise. Case in
point: the housing bubble in
the mid-2000s.
The move of all feder-
ally backed student loans
completely into the hands of
the federal government from
private institutions in 2010 was
a push in the right direction for
xing the growing issue, Parker
said.
But when push comes to
shove, the change wont make
the student loans issue airtight.
Parker said the federal govern-
ment controlling loans might
mean tighter funding in harsh
times.
Its preferable to forcing
students into loan defaults, he
said.
Parker cited an income-con-
tingent loan system where
the size of a student loan is
relative to the income of their
area of study as a viable
contender to ght the student
loan issue.
For now, del Carlo is worried
more about the short-term
than his imminent loans. From
studying for hours to attending
conventions and lectures per-
taining to his area of interest,
hes curating himself to be the
best candidate he can.
His devotion to neuroscience
seeps into every facet of his char-
acter. When demonstrating the
steadiness of his hand, he spoke
for ve minutes about how the
brain is functioning when ones
hand is stretched out.
Despite his condence, the
fear of not being accepted into
UCSFs medical school some-
times crosses del Carlos mind.
Yeah, theres a lot of that, he
said with a bittersweet grimace.
Ill go to graduate school, I
might get a job in a science
laboratory, I will go to Ph.D.
school rst, do my research
and if I dont get in, then theyre
sorry not to have me.
He admits graduating with
a loan towering over him will
be unnerving, but a virtue his
mother instilled in him at an
early age keeps him aoat:
resilience.
Debt isnt the biggest issue as
long as you learn to persevere,
he said. I think Im kind of a
testament that you dont need
to have parents that are well-
connected, you dont need to
have counselors that are from
better schools that know how
to get you $88,000 in scholar-
ships You dont need to have
all those extra fancy ties to
people.
Its that drive that keeps del
Carlos focus on his academics
as well as his hand from
inching.
Stephen Ward can be reached at
sward@nevadasagebrush.com.
Fire
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
Groping
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
COURTESYOFTHEUNIVERSITYOFNEVADA, RENO
The Fire Science Academy was moved to Carlin in 1999, but problems with construction and nancial
expectations forced the institution to be heavily in debt before opening. University of Nevada, Reno
students have paid a $6.50 per credit fee since 2002 to help pay off the debt from the academy.
GARRETTVALENZUELA/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
This alleyway in between Eighth, Ninth, Sierra and Virginia streets is where a groping happened this semester.
Tuition
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
Loans
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
Trust your instincts and be yourself. If you feel unsafe, or
even uncomfortable in any situation, go with your gut. Dont
worry about what others think; your own safety comes rst.
Use your cellphone as a tool. Make sure its fully charged
before you leave home, and if you nd yourself in an uncom-
fortable situation, shoot a quick text for a friend-assist. Make
a plan before you go out just in case your phone dies, so you
can meet up with your friends at a specic location at a certain
time.
Be careful when leaving statuses or away messages online
and when using the check-in feature on Facebook or Four-
square. Leaving information about your whereabouts reveals
details that are accessible to everyone. Use common sense so
that someone cant track your every move. If you wouldnt give
the information to a stranger, then dont put it on your online
prole.
Wait to let your guard down until people earn your trust.
A college campus can foster a false sense of security. Dont
assume people youve just met will look out for your best inter-
ests; remember that they are essentially strangers.
Dont be afraid to hurt someones feelings. Its better to make
up a reason to leave than to stay in a possibly dangerous situa-
tion. Your safety comes before someone elses feelings.
All information courtesy of Rape, Abuse & Incest National
Network.
T t i ti t d b lf If f l f
TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE ON CAMPUS
Opinion
EDITORIAL CARTOON
The rock that broke the students back.
Student fees should not go toward FSA
STAFF EDITORIAL I FIRE SCIENCE ACADEMY
Trip home cures
apathetic ways
SNARK ATTACK
What are some assumptions youve heard or thought about Reno?
CAMPUSCHAT
CAUGHLIN FIRE
Personal experience in re
increases fervor for reporting
nevadasagebrush.com A6 NOVEMBER 29, 2011
A
fter hours of playing
video games and not
doing my homework,
I left my fraternity
house at about 2 a.m. Thurs-
day night. A friend texted me
about
seeing a
re some-
where
in south
Reno, but
I wasnt
about to
stop beat-
ing on the
bastardly
criminals
of Arkham
Asylum for anything.
After everyone in the house
went to sleep and I began the
drive home, I noticed a red glow
in the skyline of south Reno.
Despite not having anything
in my possession besides
my slowly dying cellphone,
a partially charged MacBook
and about an eighth of a tank
of gas, I sped off in the general
direction of the re, much like
a cat chasing something small
and shiny.
I tweeted as I got closer to
the site, but the only person
who responded was a high
school friend working for the
Navy in Virginia.
Eventually, I ended up on
a residential street by South
McCarran Boulevard, about 50
yards away from the re. A tiny
squad car lay in the middle
of the road, between a hill of
re and myself. Smoke lled
the air, and wind gusts drove
embers through it. I climbed
up on a small, sagebrush-
covered hill and began taking
photos of the blaze with my
crappy little cellphone camera.
After about ve minutes of
constant tweeting and taking
photos, a wave of embers ew
several feet in front of me, yet
no brush took ame.
I took another photo and
ran back, not wanting to be
barbecued by the surrounding
dry brush.
I climbed up another hill,
this one on the opposite end
of the road, and, despite ash
blowing in my face by 50 mph
winds, I continued uploading
photos to Twitter.
As the wind continued
gusting in random directions,
I noticed that most of the
onlookers had evacuated, and
a number of re engines had
begun to enter the area. As the
re marched closer. I decided
to leave.
Smoke lled my car as I
began my retreat. As I closed
the door, the road ahead was
lled with a sea of dancing
sparks and embers, curbside to
curbside. As the embers died
down, I started the engine and
drove away.
I continued reporting on the
Caughlin Fire almost nonstop
for the next two days. I sent
out about 150 tweets during
that time, lived at Galena
High School between press
conferences and helped write
three stories for Reuters. As
the nal numbers of homes
destroyed, people injured and
acreage burned began rolling
in, I kept running over my own
experience with the re.
Numerous what-ifs lled
my head, especially after
Sagebrush News Editor Ben
Miller, who is for some reason
trained in re safety, informed
me that my actions were the
opposite of correct protocol.
What if that hill had caught
re?
What if I ran out of gas?
But after further reection,
Ive concluded that I did the
right thing. I had rsthand
photos of the re up on Twitter
before any other news organi-
zation in the city.
I was credited by a national
wire service for three stories,
and Ive only been serious
about journalism for about a
year and a half.
Im not trying to brag, but
I am extremely proud of
everything I have accom-
plished during my time at this
newspaper, and Im excited for
whatever the future holds.
If theres one thing Ive
learned this year, its that those
who take the risks and try
the hardest to break news are
usually the most successful.
Is it dangerous? Yes. Stupid?
Maybe.
Is it worth it?
Absolutely.
Riley Snyder studies journalism.
He can be reached at rsnyder@
nevadasagebrush.com.
I
dont celebrate holidays. Dont get it twisted, Im not a Jehovahs
Witness, but my brilliant wit is it never takes a holiday.
I just loathe them. I never cared for anti-climactic Easter egg
hunts or Christmas songs, which I consider the worst noise
audible to human ears doves crying aside,
of course. As if mundane jingles and fruitless
pursuits werent enough, I suffer from painful
ashbacks of being the ugly tot who never got
Valentines. Most of all, I hate holidays such as
Thanksgiving that call for family gatherings
around pricey pheasants. They serve as a
reminder of how dysfunctional my family is.
But this year was different. After taking ve
years off from Thanksgiving, I decided to get
over my fear of going back home and return to
Las Vegas.
Ive enjoyed two years of blissful apathy in
Reno, not caring about my less-than-ideal fam-
ily and seemingly forgotten hometown. When situations get tough, I
sprint from them. Who am I kidding? Its more of a brisk walk.
As it turns out, my speed-walking marathon led to denial. I fooled
myself into thinking I wasnt bothered by the estrangement from my
family, or the fact that I hadnt seen my best friend or an H&M store
in two years.
But I was.
Thoughts of how disastrous this trip could turn out plagued me.
Will my grandma hate me? Does she even want me to come? Will
H&M be open? I suffered through waves of nerve-induced nausea
during the seven-hour journey call it going-home sickness. By the
time I hit Goldeld, my hands felt like a 70-year-olds arthritic digits;
Id been white-knuckling the wheel the entire drive. I turned to the
Holy Spear-it for support, but not even two hours of listening to the
glorious Britney could save me.
The only thing that stopped the unrelenting terror was the thought
of hanging out with my best friend, the only rational person I know.
Sufce to say, things didnt turn out as expected.
My grandma was surprisingly kind and loving. Aside from a snide
remark about how my awful clothes made me look homeless, the
O.G. of snark didnt make any other disparaging comments. Our
version of Thanksgiving dinner went OK, considering my grandma
forgot it was Thanksgiving.
My friend is another story, seeing how our reunion got off to a
rocky start. Instead of spending hours at our old haunt (the ne
dining establishment Chilis), engaging in hours of sarcastic banter
and quoting Nicki Minaj lyrics, we went to the physical manifesta-
tion of my worst nightmare: Insert Coin, an arcade lounge in seedy
downtown Las Vegas.
I still suffer from traumatizing memories from that night, includ-
ing the overwhelming feeling of secondhand embarrassment,
seething anger, hatred for Black Friday, confusion and exhaustion.
I was peer-pressured into drinking and dancing, and was told by a
random 35-year-old woman and former journalism student that I
should go to beauty school (this is the second time this has hap-
pened). I would elaborate more about the disastrous night, but my
soul needs time to heal.
I still love you, Diana.
Surprisingly, I spent most of my trip bonding with my grandma
over our love of Stella Artois and hatred of the disgusting fashions
sold on HSN. I also enjoyed sleeping on a bed bug-free mattress for
once and hanging with my main bitch Annie, a Maltese.
Waking up at 4 a.m. on Sunday was painful for many reasons.
First, my whole body ached from exhaustion and I dreaded the
endless drive back home to my shoddy apartment. But it was the
slow defrosting of my heart that was more grueling.
I had nally reconciled with my grandma and started feeling that
weird, tingly thing in my soul I think you all call it sentimentality
or something?
I even feel homesick. Ugh.
Dont worry, I havent completely transformed; I still hate holidays.
Not all relationships, familial or not, are reconcilable I know
this from years of agonizing experiences. You shouldnt feel pressure
to mend unxable relationships. Ignore people who shame you for
being your own one-man wolf pack.
At the same time, theres a difference between acknowledging your
problems and avoiding them. It took me two years to realize that not
going home wasnt an act of deance, just a weakness.
So stop speed-walking away from your problems. Taking off the
tacky tracksuit and sweatbands will feel nice.
Enjolie Esteve studies journalism and philosophy. She can be reached
at eesteve@nevadasagebrush.com.
A
t the Board of Regents
meeting Thursday and
Friday in Las Vegas, Uni-
versity of Nevada, Reno
interim President Marc Johnson
will make recommendations
regarding the future of the Fire
Science Academy, which might
include the possible closure
of the program that UNR
purchased about 12 years ago.
The FSA offers training pro-
grams for industrial emergency
responders and volunteer re
brigades. Participants get
hands-on experience with live
res at the facility.
If youve never heard of
the FSA, it might be because
the building itself is in Carlin
more than 250 miles east
of Reno. And if youve never
heard of it, you should youre
paying for it.
Since 2002, students have
paid a $6.50 per-credit fee for
it, meaning a student taking a
15-credit class load would have
to shell out almost $100 for
this. All student fees go toward
paying off the outstanding debt
the FSA has accumulated a
grand total of $36.3 million.
But why are students paying
for something theyre not
directly beneting from?
Amid rising tuition fees (the
Board is discussing raising
tuition by another 13 percent
next year), students are being
pushed to support something
they dont use.
After the Board voted in
February 2009 to accept UNRs
debt-consolidation plan and
keep the FSA open, late UNR
President Milton Glick said, I
think the students carry this
burden and there are things
they are going without. It breaks
my heart.
At this weekends meeting,
under UNRs proposal, students
would pay a $2.50 fee toward
the debt, and the other $4
would go to future, student-
oriented campus capital
projects. But nothing has been
planned yet for these so-called
projects.
The FSA has been taking
student money and not
contributing to the universitys
budget while fees were being
raised and UNR was grappling
with budget cuts.
At this weekends Board of
Regents meeting, the student fee
that goes toward the FSA should
be eliminated a move that
shouldve been made years ago.
The Nevada Sagebrush can be
reached at editor@nevadasage-
brush.com.
I heard from
my friends that
theres a lot
of homeless
crackheads in
Reno.
Allison Honig
18, nursing
(In middle
school I
thought) it
was a bunch of
outlaws coming
here to gamble.
Pablo Martinez
25, graduated
I had an
assumption that
it was desert and
nothing (else
was) here.
Niesha Jones
20, journalism
The rumor
I heard was
that it is very
conservative
and there are
a lot of white
people here.
Thayvi
Ganeshalingam
18, nutrition dietetics
Enjolie
Esteve
Riley
Snyder
WEB
NOTES
STORY:
OPINION:
CAIN PRIME EXAMPLE
OF INTERNALIZED
RACISM, HATRED
On November 22, 11:47 a.m.,
TM wrote:
This article was totally on
point. There is so much
internalized racism within
the black community and
we refuse to address it. Even
within my own family (my
parents are East African)
theres dislike of anything that
is too black. My mother
tells me not to go in the sun or
else Ill get a tan and become
too dark like my father, I
have cousins that bleach
their skin to look whiter, and
natural hair is considered
nappy or kinky. I know
too many black women who
have destroyed their hair
from relaxers (that shi*t
BURNS) and hot combs, so
what do they do when their
hair starts falling out? They
put a weave in. God-forbid we
walk around with our natural,
African hair. We follow
White standards of beauty
and behavior without even
thinking about how it effects
us, what it does to our self-
respect and identity. Also,
Kate: what the hell?
STORY:
TWILIGHT
SEQUEL IS CREEPY,
UNROMANTIC
On November 22, 1:07 p.m.,
Guest wrote:
Charlie, great writing. As
someone whos never read
or seen anything Twilight,
I love your summation. As
someone who identies
as a feminist, I cant allow
myself to read a book where
a woman (Bella) relies solely
on the men around herand
as you say, apologize for
getting pregnant and being
a woman.
Not to mention Kristen
Stewart only has one facial
expression. While many
fans of Twilight will accuse
you of looking too much into
the meanings, you are right
on point. Its the hidden
meanings that people brush
off that creates ideas of
society.
All-in-all, awesome review.
STORY:
OPINION:
DONT DEMEAN
WHAT YOU DONT
UNDERSTAND
On November 17, 9:56
p.m., Taylor wrote:
To be truthful about Brent
article, i believe he is
merely making a statement
about how we should all
at least try to identify with
one another, and ACCEPT
each others sexuality,
whether gay, straight,
lesbian, or BI-SEXUAL. To
think that People actually
think, that someone
chooses what there
sexuality is, like a fad or
something, as Ms. Ericson
states is truly vulgar and
i am personally offended
by that comment. I see
no problem with Brent
voicing his opinion about
her in this column. She
has no right to to voice
such a rude opinion in
front of others about an
individual, especially
something that personal.
if anything Brent has taken
the rst step to ensuring
a safe environment to
where people can be
comfortable with who
they are and not have
to be worried about
bullies with insecurities
of there own.
JETTCHAPMAN/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
For more opinions, check out The Nevada Sagebrush website
for blog updates concerning technology, campus etiquette and
witty commentary from our staff.
NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM/STAFF-BLOGS
*Editors note: This is the rst in
a two-part series that will explore
the topic of animal extinction.
T
hanks to us the
human race the
planet is devastated.
With each passing day,
it becomes more difcult for us
to survive. If something doesnt
change soon, I guarantee we
will not
survive
into the
next mil-
lennium.
By we I
am not just
referring to
humans,
Im talking
about
everything.
While
humankind will probably end
up destroying itself, more likely
than not, well be responsible
for the extinction of every other
inhabitant of the planet as well.
Weve already begun.
Man has killed for food since
the beginning for sport,
not long after. And its the
latter that has decimated the
populations of species that
once dominated our world. As
of just two weeks ago, we have
added mileage to our legacy.
Poachers hunting West
African Black Rhinoceroses
for their horns, considered an
aphrodisiac in Eastern medi-
cine, has driven the species to
extinction in the wild. Although
a few still survive in captivity,
on Nov. 8 they were declared
extinct. The rhino is not the
only animal to receive this fate.
The dodo, poster child of
extinct species and native to
the island of Mauritius in the
Indian Ocean, was pushed to
extinction by the end of the
17th century. This was a result
of the introduction of non-
native species to the island
that ate their eggs. Stellers Sea
Cow, the largest of the dugongs
(manatees), discovered in
1741, was a slow mammal that
lived in the Bering Sea region;
hunted to extinction by 1768, a
mere three decades later.
The same happened to the
Javan tiger of Indonesia (1979),
the Baiji river dolphin of
China (2006), and the Golden
Toad of Costa Rica (1989). All
gone thanks to habitat loss by
deforestation and industry.
Thankfully, humans have
wised up on a few occasions.
Whaling in the 19th century
almost completely decimated
the whale population, with
only a handful left by the early
1900s. Theyre still recovering
but are making a comeback.
The American Bison shared a
similar fate. They were hunted
for their meat, their skins and
for sport. They were completely
gone in the wild by the late
1800s and only by the extreme
effort of conservationists have
they recovered to their current
population across the Great
Plains today.
The time has come to take
action, to hold ourselves
accountable for the things weve
done. Enough is enough. We
are destroying the world we live
in our home. Its not just a
home for humans; its also home
to everything else around us.
We all depend on one
another, from the smallest
microbe to the biggest tree,
the littlest insect to us big, bad
humans. One cannot survive
without the other.
Aaron Weitzman studies speech
communications. He can be
reached at opinion@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
T
he Biggest Little City
is a gem. Not because
Reno is miles away
from a world-
renowned lake, nor because
its close to a cluster of major
ski resorts.
Reno is
a gem
because it
is diverse,
local and
fun. But
most im-
portantly,
Reno
deserves
praise
because it
supports
itself well.
These
past few
months have proven that.
Shootings, crashes and res all
showed signs of trouble, and
what better support did we get
than from the city itself?
More than 400 reghters
held back the Caughlin
Ranch res while UNR
students began gathering
food, blankets and water for
victims.
The National Championship
Air Races had an unfortunate
accident this year, leaving both
Brian and Linda Elvin without
part of their right legs.
Before leaving Reno, they
wrote to the Reno Gazette-
Journal thanking the city for
the support and for the ability
to think of Reno as a second
home.
Many people are quick to
notice Renos faults before
appreciating everything it has
to offer. Yeah, there are the
bums and downtown regulars
who look like something off
PeopleofWalmart.com, yet
what harm are they really?
The bums arent building
homeless empires like those of
San Francisco, and they help
clean the cans out of the yard
after a party.
Stop acting like the bars,
slots and prostitutes are all that
Reno has to offer. If you missed
the hundreds of balloons in the
morning sky in September or
the hundreds of Santas running
the streets in December, youre
not seeing the community that
Reno is holding together.
A walk in Rancho San Rafael
Park in the fall can lead you
right into at least four dogs,
whose owners always stop to
tell you all the information
about their prized companion.
The restaurant Naan and
Kebob has delicious Greek food
with a friendly owner who gives
out coupons.
There are food specials that
cater to a college students
penniless pockets throughout
the city, such as The Gold Dust
Wests $1.99 breakfast from
midnight to 6 a.m., for all those
gracing downtown with their
presence at that time.
Theres adventure lurking in
the rock wall at CommRow or
the giant swing at the Grand
Sierra Resort and Casino.
There are various hiking trails,
including the famous hike to
the N.
The streets of Reno also add
depth to the city. I know when
Virginia Street is busy from
4 to 5 p.m. and I want to get
home quickly, I can drive down
Center Street and see the colors
reecting off the Reno Events
Center onto the road.
I know there is art on all the
streets of Reno, where other
cities boast boring signs.
I know I can always nd
something new to love about
this city. Whether its a morning
trail on Sunday or a Salsa
dance class on Wednesday
night, theres something there
for me.
When there isnt, I grab some
friends, head outside and nd
what else Reno is hiding. Its
only for the better.
Ive said it before, Im saying
it now and Ill say it again:
Reno is a gem.
Lauren Hober studies journalism
and French. She can be reached at
opinion@nevadasagebrush.com.
opinion
A7 NOVEMBER 29, 2011 nevadasagebrush.com
I
am sure most students have
heard about the University
of California, Davis pepper
spraying incident. There has
been a lot of uproar about how
it is completely inappropriate
to pepper
spray
students
protesting
in a free
speech area.
It seems
pepper
spray has
become the
standard
police
response
to protests
throughout
the entire nation. I hear a lot of
authority ofcials claiming it is
a response to a direct threat to
public safety. I ask to all people of
the free world: How is a peaceful
protest dangerous to public
safety?
The reason these pepper
spraying incidents are occurring
is not for public safety but for the
use of suppressing our freedom
of speech.
When Tea Party protests had
people walking around with
loaded automatic weapons,
the police did nothing to them.
The Tea Party had the right to
do that, especially since they
did not use said guns, though it
can be debated that they were
a symbolic threat to liberal
politicians.
Now, when the 99 percent
gathered without weapons or
threats of violence and without
disrupting town hall meetings
and others right to free speech,
they were pepper sprayed,
arrested, beaten and threatened.
They even had a fund of nearly $1
million raised by lobbyists to at-
tack any politician that expresses
sympathy for their movement.
There is a simple reason for
the difference in behavior by the
police. The Tea Party didnt want
Wall Street reform; it wanted Wall
Street deregulation. It wanted to
turn a blind eye to what bankers
and investors were doing in the
name of free trade.
It is worth noting that the UC
Davis students were not an Oc-
cupy group. They were protesting
tuition hikes. Why, then, were they
treated as if they were a direct
threat to Wall Street retirement
funds? Because they are.
The rise in tuition results in a
rise in student loans, as many
University of Nevada, Reno
students are sure to have noticed
with our own tuition hikes this
year. Student loans represent one
of the largest investments Wall
Street bankers have made in the
citizenry of the United States.
However, they didnt make that
investment because they saw
college students as the future of
the country, they saw them as
future debtors.
Believe it or not, bankers dont
care about most college students.
They care about the debt we
rack up going to college to get a
decent job.
They dont want us speaking
out against paying for the
burdens they placed on society.
Notice that the Reno Police
Department has not abused any
protestors, be they the Tea Party,
Occupiers or college students.
While not everyone likes dealing
with police when they get pulled
over, its worth taking the time to
thank them for not jumping on
the bandwagon of Wall Streets
tyranny.
Ben Clark studies political sci-
ence. He can be reached at opin-
ion@nevadasagebrush.com.
Ben
Clark
RENO APPRECIATION
Dont be fooled by the grime, Biggest
Little City is a diamond in the rough
ANIMAL EXTINCTION
Humans need to
respect nature,
preserve animal life
T
he Occupy Wall Street
movement impacted
the United States
drastically in such a
short period of time, making
headlines and changing the
dynamic of
political
debate.
However,
many as-
pects of the
movement
havent
been posi-
tive, making
many ques-
tion the
movements
motives.
OWS
is signicant because of the
many activists ghting against
corporate greed, caustic power
and social inequality.
Similar to the Tea Party, OWS
is challenging the government.
Regardless of the political
stance in either movement,
the realization of the American
people that the government is
corrupt shows this countrys
leaders have abused the people
for too long.
Those associated with OWS
think of themselves as a leader-
less resistance movement made
up of people of all genders and
races, with one important thing
in common they make up
the 99 percent. Their actions
are expressions of freedom of
speech, but lately the move-
ment hasnt made the news in a
positive light.
Although many who have
participated in the protests
havent retaliated in violence,
many have committed crime.
Women have been raped,
people have been beaten and
activists have been running
around naked, disposing their
urine and fecal matter on the
streets of the cities and on cop
cars.
It is understandable and
even respectable if people are
angry and decide to take a
stand, but disrespecting law
enforcement while making the
streets unsafe isnt understand-
able or respectable at all.
Some believe the brutality of
the police is unfair since OWS
is in favor of freedom of speech,
but many activists are doing
more than just talking.
If those involved in the
movement want respect from
law enforcement, the people of
America and the big corpora-
tions they are primarily ghting
against, their core value should
be respectful.
At a Nevada home football
game a few weeks ago,
other cheerleaders and I were
confronted by a group of young
and excited girls, begging their
parents for a picture with us.
As we positioned for the shot,
I realized a group of Occupiers
were approaching with signs
that had obscenities written
all over them, along with many
vulgar and demeaning phrases.
This was no longer a fam-
ily atmosphere. The mood
changed instantly. Its not the
basis of the protest that myself
and thousands of others have a
problem with its the blatant
disrespect many activists have
presented.
Standing up for what you
believe in can be honored and
respected, but people will stop
listening to OWS if the core
value of a protest emanates
violence, crime and disrespect.
Jennifer Mabus studies engineer-
ing. She can be reached at opin-
ion@nevadasagebrush.com.
Jennifer
Mabus
Aaron
Weitzman
Aa Aa AAAa Aa Aa AAa aro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro rro ro ro ronnnn
We eeeeeit it it iit iit iiit it t iit iiitt iittttttzm zm zm zm zm zmmmmm zm zmm zzzmma
Lauren
Hober
FROM THE LEFT | POLICE ARE IMPEDING FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
POLITICS: ARE POLICE VIOLATING PROTESTORS RIGHTS ?
FROM THE RIGHT | OWS PROTESTORS SHOULD BE SAFE, RESPECTFUL
Women should be supportive instead of antagonistic
I
am sick of all these bitches
and hoes. By bitches and
hoes, Im of course referring
to the feminists who have
problems with my feminism.
Listen
up: My
feminism
is my
feminism.
Besides,
its such a
loose term
these days,
I could
ing a
kitten off
a building
and call
it feminism of course I
wouldnt.
In the past few months Ive
been called little girl, slut,
ugly, a misogynist and
even a baby killer. If I didnt
suffer from extremely high self-
esteem, I might feel the need
for some anti-depressants.
When you call people these
names, youre a bully. The irony:
Some of these attacks are from
other feminists or activists. The
very people who make It Gets
Better videos and reblog sex
positive afrmations on their
Tumblr.
One self-proclaimed feminist
hero, Michelle, has been
giving me ak about my radical
feminist lifestyle for more than
a year. Apparently, she took is-
sue with my vocabulary and the
way I explained my abortion.
The truth was I felt like I lost
out on something by having it.
What a strange concept.
My problem with your
experience is that you say you
lost your child, she wrote.
You did not lose it. You choose
(sic) to abort that fetus.
She insinuated I couldnt
write articles (that are blatantly
sarcastic and satirical) that
encouraged women to have
sex like a man. She bombarded
me with messages on Facebook,
ending with this message:
Well whatever, I think youre
a cunt.
Cunt is perhaps the most
distasteful and patently offen-
sive piece of vulgarity today. And
yes, I nd it hysterically ironic
that she threw this one at me.
Hoes say I cant strip. I cant
feel loss after an abortion. I
cant write freely, no matter how
ridiculous my message might
translate. I cant write. Period.
Not without other people
screaming how wrong my
feminism is. I cant.
This is what I like to call cant
feminism or cant activism.
Its an organic concept Ive been
noticing with local activists.
Basically, its the nature of
activists alienating or bullying
other activists because theyre
doing it wrong, which is just
frustrating.
Side note: Sitting on the
MacBook your parents bought
you and reposting something
you found on Feministing.com
isnt being active.
Activism means being active
in your community. Form a
group, watch feminist lms
and discuss. Knowledge is
contagious spread it like
herpes. The revolution will not
start with your MacBook.
If we cant even get activists
in the same room because
one is a stripper, perhaps
we are taking the movement
backward. At the end of the day,
we all stand for the same goals
(keeping abortion legal, equal
pay for women, etc.) so why are
we using our energy to scorn
each other? Bullying is no joke.
People commit suicide all the
time because of it.
Im going to let my kitten,
Jules Verne, write the last
paragraph. I believe my cat is
a bigger feminist than most of
you.
Stop bullying each other.
When us kittens get upset with
each other, we just throw each
other fashion shows. Meow!
Caitlin Thomas studies English
and womens studies. She can be
reached at opinion@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
FEMINIST BULLIES
Caitlin
Thomas
GARRETTVALENZUELA/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Columnist Lauren Hober cites Gold Dust Wests $1.99 breakfast as one of her favorite aspects of living in Reno.
arts & entertainment A8 NOVEMBER 29, 2011 nevadasagebrush.com
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TheMixer
NOVEMBER 29, 2011 A9
FILM REVIEW
By Nathan Conover
While it is characteristic of Al-
exander Payne to create a movie
with old man angst and as many
tragic elements as there are
comic (see Sideways or About
Schmidt), The Descendants is
different from his past works.
Matt King (George Clooney,
Up in the Air), a successful
lawyer and sole trustee of an
enormous plot of Hawaiian land,
makes the startling discovery
that his wife is in a coma after a
terrible boating accident.
In addition to now having
to look after his nave 10-year-
old daughter Scottie (Amara
Miller) and his troubled teenage
daughter Alexandra (Shailene
Woodley, Final Approach,
King is faced with the decision
to either sell his familys land or
keep it untouched.
As if going through all that
wasnt enough, King is told by
doctors that his wife has no
chance of surviving. Shortly af-
ter, Alexandra tells him that his
wife was cheating on him right
before the boat accident.
Throughout the rest of the
movie, King is not only dealing
with the imminent death of his
wife, but also with the hard truth
of his wifes unfaithfulness.
You would think that with so
many sobering elements, this
film would be two hours of
non-stop grief and depression,
but Payne somehow man-
ages to maintain an easy-going
feel.
At one point in the movie, Scot-
tie becomes so frustrated with
Alexandra that she just ips her
off and walks away. In another
scene, when he nds out about
his wifes indelity, King lets go
of some steam and simply runs
out of the house.
Clooney truly did a spec-
tacular job as King. He was
vulnerable, yet strong; funny
in appropriate times, but also
serious; clever, but also straight
to the point.
Woodley also stands out in
her role as Alexandra. Not only
is her performance more real
than any other actors on her
ABC Family show The Secret
Life of the American Teenager,
she breaks the mold of the tra-
ditional, rebellious daughter by
shedding the moody, brooding
teenager persona early on and
thoughtfully helping King with
all his struggles.
By the time youve reached
the end of the movie, you will
have laughed, cried and expe-
rienced everything in between.
You will have died a little inside
during certain scenes and
screamed during others. The
full spectrum of human emo-
tion is certainly covered, so
Payne deserves recognition for
a job well done.
Before I saw The Descen-
dants, I had heard a lot of
buzz that it was highly favored
to receive Academy Award
nominations, and now I see why.
Payne turns a story of betrayal,
loss and family dysfunction into
a story of love, facing facts and
being honest with yourself.
Its about realizing that there
are still struggles in paradise,
and sometimes the best way
to let go of struggles is to meet
them head-on. Other times, the
best option is to stare down our
problem, give it the nger, and
walk away.
Nathan Conover can be reached
at arts-entertainment@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
THE DESCENDANTS
Release Date: Nov. 25
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley and Amara
Miller
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: R for language, including some sexual references
Grade: A-
Descendants a refreshing take on dysfunction
How to build
a platform
Dec 6, 4:30 pm
Rita Laden
senate chambers
@ the joe
For more info visit Asun.unr.edu
or contact electionschair@asun.unr.edu
ASUN supports providing equal access to all programs for people with disabilities. Reasonable efforts will be made to provide accommodations to people with disabilities attending the event. Please call 784-6589 as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations. For more information contact 702-8245901.
COURTESYOFFOXSEARCHLIGHTPICTURES
George Clooney and Shailene Woodley star as Matt and Alexandra King, two members of a family struggling to get along, in The Descendants, which is based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.
Check out this weeks exclusive online Arts and Entertainment
content, including a review of the Gym Class Heroes album, The
Papercut Chronicles II.
NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
A10
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
Arts&Entertainment
nevadasagebrush.com
By Stephanie Self
Improv is an acting art known for its often wacky, out-
rageous and (maybe) hilarious antics on stage, and Em-
pire Comedy is among the few theater companies in the
area doing it. But the members also are the only actors
who gain condence, creativity and quick-wittedness in
their everyday lives.
University of Nevada, Reno theater professor Michael
Lewis, 34, founded Empire Comedy in April of 2007, and
Empire has been performing long-form improv since
2008.
Long-form improv is a type of improv that takes one
suggestion or idea that an entire sketch is built around,
Lewis said. It can go on for 20 minutes to an hour and a
half, depending on how long the show is. Its essentially
taking a world that is unformed, and with every line of
dialogue, youre slowly building the parameters of that
world. Youre taking one thing and expanding it and ask-
ing, What does it mean in that world? A lot of people
think that improv is something of invention, but its
really using whats already there.
As an example, Lewis described a show in which a
particular actor was playing a bully, who asked his part-
ner to hold a bag. This act of asking the partner to hold
something became a way of showing dominance over
the other. Discoveries such as these are what Lewis loves
about improv, and are what affected him profoundly
when he started out at the age of 17.
I really found my creative voice through improv,
Lewis said. Im an improvisor rst and an actor second.
I actually get terried with a script because theres room
for mistakes there. In improv, theres no right way to do
it; you cant make a mistake.
This young theater group might not have made a big
impact on the Reno community yet, but it certainly has
made an impact on its students and the groups creative
endeavors. Dan Smith, 26, also known as Dan Wise, is
one such student. He has worked with Empire since
January 2011 and has since drawn much inspiration
from the classes.
My friend Tim Dufrisne encouraged me to take the
class; he thought I would be good at it, Smith said. Id
done acting classes and stuff before and I like being on
stage, so I thought, Why not?
Getting his start in stand-up comedy about ve
months earlier, Smith found the class improved his in-
teraction with the crowd as well as thinking on his feet
during stand-up performances, even when these were
things he considered himself to be good at already.
Youre basically tackling everything youre insecure
about in improv, Smith said. Im a lot more comfort-
able on stage because of it.
Dani Ray, a 23-year-old geography major at the
University of Nevada, Reno, also found herself learning
how to improvise at the recommendation of a friend
who was taking improv classes at The Second City
improv theater company in Chicago. Since she started
last May, she has learned many lessons that go beyond
the classroom.
My friend and I went to one performance together
and I decided to go to one of their drop-in classes, Ray
said. I wasnt even thinking of doing any sort of acting,
but I completely fell in love with it.
Ray was shy throughout high school, claiming to have
once passed out while giving a presentation in front of a
class. However, she said this fear has disappeared since
learning the art of improv.
Its changed my life and how I do everything, Ray
said. I feel like Im better in social situations and am not
as shy. My whole life I was taught to think before I speak,
but improv pretty much taught me to do the opposite.
Ray has started doing stand-up comedy since learning
improv and changed her minor focus to theater because
of her newfound passion.
Improv also serves as a way to improve personal
interaction and teamwork. Lewis and his students have
gained from this through the relationship with their
peers on stage.
You really have to look out for the other person in
improv, Smith said. You dont have your own interest
on stage. Youre always thinking, How can I contribute
to the scene? Its that shared collectiveness that really
makes a scene.
Its also that collaboration that can make improv
reveal ones true character. This raw and honest form of
acting becomes a unique way of getting to know people,
according to members of the Empire improv troupe.
It creates a very personal atmosphere because youre
facing all your fears at once, Ray said. You learn so
much about a person just through improv, almost on a
subconscious level.
Not only is trusting your partner important, but team-
building and being able to share the stage are essential
to successful improv, Lewis said. All these techniques
have profoundly impacted other aspects of the improv
actors lives, from facing their fears to learning better
personal interactions, truly breaking the fourth wall and
going beyond the worlds they create with their fellow
improvisors at Empire Comedy.
You have to have this weird faith in others, Lewis
said. Your success is based primarily on collaborating,
so you cant have one person doing all the work and
still have a good show. You have to say, Lets create this
together.
Stephanie Self can be reached at arts-entertainment@
nevadasagebrush.com.
What: Empire Comedy drop-in classes
Where: Good Luck Macbeth Theatre
119 N. Virginia St.
Reno
When: Every Sunday at 7 p.m.
Cost: $10
No experience is required for drop-in
classes.
Participants must be 18 or older.
For more information about the improv
troupe, visit EmpireImprov.com.
d d i l
EMPIRE IMPROV CLASSES
What: Empire Comedy
performances
Where: Good Luck
Macbeth Theatre
119 N. Virginia St.
Reno
When: Every Friday at 10
p.m. There will be only two
performances during the
rst two weeks of December
until the new year.
Cost: $10
Wh t E i C d
CHECK IT OUT
This headline was
totally improvised
For some students, the opportunity to work with a
local improv comedy troupe has been life-changing
COURTESYOFMARIOCOLOMBINI
Members of Empire Comedy perform their improvised comedy routines before audiences weekly at the Good Luck Macbeth Theatre in downtown Reno. The troupe also offers drop-in classes
and opportunities for students and others interested in trying their hand at comedy.
COURTESYOFMARIOCOLOMBINI
University of Nevada, Reno theater professor Michael Lewis founded Empire Comedy in 2007.
Improv is
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What: Empire Com
Where: Good Luck
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Cost: $10
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Wh t E i C
EMPIRE IMPROV C
Members of Empire Come
and opportunities for stud
By Eric Lee Castillo
A look of worry was a common occurrence for
the Wolf Pack after pulling off a decisive 60-47
victory Nov. 20 over Prairie View A&M in its rst
matchup of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
The following three games had Nevada head
coach David Carter and company scrambling
to pull off a victory.
In the second matchup of the invitational
against Longwood University, Nevada guard
Deonte Burton stepped up to the free throw line
with four seconds left on the clock with a slim
lead at 80-78. Players on the Wolf Pack bench
watched closely, hoping that the shots would
fall in and seal a victory over the Lancers.
But Burton missed both free throws, and
Longwood guard Casey Tristan had a chance at
a game-winning three-point shot.
The pressure got to me a little bit, Burton
said. I would have never forgiven myself if he
made that shot.
Nevada guard Jerry Evans, who was guarding
the shot attempt, said he was scared when Tristan
released the ball because the shot attempt looked
good when he released it.
Although the Wolf Pack won 80-78 and went
3-1 overall in the Chicago-based tournament,
Nevada maintained the edgy feeling through the
rest of the tournament.
The third game of the invitational was against
Brigham Young University, and at the beginning of
the season, Carter said the game would represent
one of the most important of the season in testing
the teams ability to compete on a national level.
Sports
SECTION B TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2011 nevadasagebrush.com
Tweet us!
Follow the Sagebrush sports
Twitter feed @SagebrushSports
School and snow
By Eric Lee Castillo
Nevada had one last chance Saturday for at least
a share of the Western Athletic Conference cham-
pionship in Logan, Utah, but the Wolf Pack failed,
losing 21-17 against Utah State.
The season was balanced on a fourth-and-one
play with ve minutes left in the game.
Enter senior quarterback Tyler Lantrip, who re-
placed starting quarterback Cody Fajardo after he
left the game with an ankle sprain late in the third
quarter.
Lantrip took the snap and ran a quick sneak and
appeared to have earned the rst down with his
feet. However, in a second effort to gain yardage,
Lantrip fumbled the ball and Aggies linebacker
Bobby Wagner recovered it.
Of course my initial reaction was, Darn, there
goes a chance for our offense score game and put
us in winning favor, senior Nevada defensive line-
man Brett Roy said. Seeing the fumble and watch-
ing Bobby Wagner run with it was heartbreaking,
but more importantly, I knew we had to make the
stop to get our offense the ball.
Up to that point in the game, Lantrip had put on
a nice performance, completing 8-of-10 passes for
105 yards and a touchdown. But he wouldnt have
another chance to lead the offense in the game.
I dont blame Tyler because hes just like any one
of us trying to make a play, Roy said. He had the
rst down, but the football gods just werent in our
corner on that play.
Not all the blame can fall on Lantrip. After all,
Football
falls short
TONYCONTINI /NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada senior Nick Visconti, who plans on graduating in December with a bachelors degree in speech communication and a minor in womens studies, was
invited to compete in ESPNs Winter X Games 16 in January.
COURTESYOFNICKVISCONTI
Nevada senior Nick Visconti has snowboarded in the mountains of Lake Tahoe, Calif.
since he rst started riding when he was 8 years old.
UNR snowboarder,
grad-to-be, ready to
shred X Games 16
By Eric Lee Castillo
U
niversity of Nevada, Reno senior Nick Visconti was walk-
ing to the Downunder Caf on campus Nov. 15 when he
received the phone call that might change his life.
It was from ESPNs Winter X Games 16 snowboard
sport organizer Sarah Castaneda, and she invited the 24-year-old
to participate at the worlds pinnacle of snow sport competitions
in Aspen, Colorado on Jan. 26.
But along with graduating in December with a bachelors degree
in speech communication, Visconti has a lot of studying to do
before he can start training to compete in the Winter X Games.
My entire life Ive had two prolic goals that Ive been on a
journey to accomplish graduating college and becoming a pro
snowboarder, Visconti said.
Those goals havent always aligned smoothly, though.
FINDING TIME FOR SCHOOL
Its a constant struggle to nd a balance between being a profes-
sional snowboarder and going to school so its nothing new for
Visconti, who minors in womens studies.
To nd time for both, Visconti has attended college only the fall
and summer semesters. That leaves him most of the winter and
the entire spring to ride the slopes. But in high school he had to
bend the rules a little bit to fuel his craving for snow sports.
I must have had the most absences that (California High
School) had ever seen in its existence, but I still got straight As,
Visconti said.
His mother Michelle Visconti-Mertz made sure of it. After all, she
had to sign off on his lack of attendance.
It was his mom who proved to be the main adversary in the
battle between riding and reading.
Oh my gosh, we fought constantly an entire year because he
wanted to miss school, Michelle said. I wasnt always happy
See X GAMES Page B4
The loss of a
friend cuts deeper
T
his is probably the most difcult column
Ive written.
On Nov. 22, Mike Ball was kicked off the
Nevada football team. The junior running
back was dismissed because he violated team
rules and protocol.
There have been tons of
rumors oating around as to
what he did to merit this punish-
ment, but Im not interested in
that it doesnt change the fact
that hes gone.
When I heard this news, it
was tough for me to keep my
composure.
Sure, athletes get kicked off
teams all the time for doing
stupid, immature things. They
dont realize the opportunities
they have in front of them and simply throw
everything away. Nevada hasnt been immune to
this and has seen its fair share of dismissals.
But Mikes situation hit me differently.
He wasnt just a football player Id reported on
for a few years. He wasnt just a name Id see in
a headline every now and then. He wasnt just a
player who won conference player of the week
awards.
Mikes a friend Ive had since I was 13.
When I rst met Mike, he was fresh out of
middle school and on his way to Desert Pines
High School in Las Vegas. Although he was barely
old enough to watch a PG-13 movie, he was
already throwing down 360-degree dunks on the
basketball court and running over people his
same age on the football eld.
To be frank, Mike was the best athlete Id ever
seen. Explosive, huge, fast, quick, strong, instinc-
tive he had it all.
But he never acted like he did.
Much has been said about how he seems like a
very charismatic person and is always smiling,
but few people really knew the Mike who would
walk around our high school football locker room
prior to practice or games and say a quick freestyle
rap to ease everyones tension. Few people saw how
he would run around school like a regular kid even
though big universities were scouting him.
The best thing about Mike was that he never for-
got where he came from or who was instrumental
in his upbringing. Mike was simply Mike.
My relationship with him grew when we were
roommates during my sophomore year at the
University of Nevada, Reno and he was a freshman
Juan
Lpez
See BALL Page B4
MIKE BALL DISMISSAL
Nerves high for Nevada mens basketball
BY THE NUMBERS
After being in a position to win the Western Athletic
Conference championship outright, the Nevada
football team has lost two league games in a row.
11
is the number of years
that have passed since
Utah State defeated
Nevada before
Saturdays game.
The Aggies last beat
the Wolf Pack 37-35
on Nov. 20, 1999 in
Logan, Utah.
See FOOTBALL Page B4
1
is the number of
touchdowns Nevada
quarterback Cody
Fajardo had in the
teams last two
games. He scored 20
touchdowns in the
Wolf Packs nine prior
games this season.
See BASKETBALL Page B4
TONYCONTINI /NEVADASAGEBRUSH
The Nevada bench was on the edge of its seats at the end of a 80-78 win over Longwood University on
Tuesday, and the theme continued through the week.
Snowboarding intersects with every aspect of my life, from
school, to my belief in God and my close relationships with
family and friends. Hopefully it can be a catalyst to explore
whats possible not only on a snowboard, but in life as well.
24-year-old communications major Nick Visconti who will
compete in ESPNs Winter X Games 16 on Jan. 26 in Aspen,
Colo.
DEONTE BURTON
MENS BASKETBALL
Guard Deonte Burton
struggled against Brigham
Young University and Bradley.
Burton went 5-for-22 from
the eld and scored just 16
points as the Wolf Pack fell to
BYU 76-55, but beat Bradley
64-59. Burton must improve
for the Wolf Pack to be serious
contenders in the conference.
FOOTBALL FUMBLES
The Nevada football team was
on the cusp of winning a West-
ern Athletic Conference Cham-
pionship for the second-straight
season, but those hopes have been shattered
in the past two weeks. Losing to Louisiana
Tech on Nov. 19 and then Saturday to Utah
State ensured that this Wolf Pack team will
fall short in achieving its goals. .
MENS BASKETBALL
STRUGGLING TO HIT
STRIDE
Though the Wolf Pack is 4-3 on
the season, the three losses have
been signicant. The rst came against un-
derdog Missouri State. Then, Nevada squan-
dered a chance to beat University of Nevada,
Las Vegas, which recently beat the No. 1 team
in the nation, North Carolina. Wolf Pack woes
continued with a loss in a highly anticipated
game against Brigham Young University.
LANDSLIDE LOSS FOR
WOMENS BASKETBALL
The Wolf Pack took a tough
103-65 loss against No. 16 in the
nation Penn State on Saturday.
Nevada made 22-of-64 shots (34 percent)
from the eld and had 25 turnovers.
MIKE BALL DISMISSED
FROM FOOTBALL TEAM
After being on a probationary
period, junior Nevada running
back Mike Ball was kicked off of
the football team for violating team rules.
Ball accumulated 1,183 yards during his career.
SWIM & DIVE TEAM AT
HALFWAY POINT
Through the rst four meets of
the season, the Wolf Pack had
two wins. The rst was over Uni-
versity of Pacic (137-100) and the second
was over Fresno State (158.5- 141.5). Three
Nevada divers nished in the top 15 on the
nal day of the Wildcat Diving Invitational
(Nov. 20).
C
onference championship.
NCAA Tournament. Those
were the goals the womens
basketball team said were
on its players minds heading
into the season.
However, after its
performance at
the John Ascuaga
Nugget Classic (
38-point loss to
Penn State after a
narrow win over
Butler), the Wolf
Pack is denitely a
work in progress.
I realize its early
in the season and
teams will look
worse now than they will at the end
of the season.
But Penn States clobbering of
the Wolf Pack in the title game of
the Classic shows just how much
separation there is from some of the
top teams in the nation and the Wolf
Pack. As a Nevada student, I wanted
to buy into the preseason hype
about the team. Head coach Jane
Albright has proven she can recruit
and rebuild quickly after losing
seniors. This seasons team has a mix
of youth and experience in seniors
Kayla Williams, Kate Kevorken and
Amanda Johnson.
But after watching part of the
second half, it was clear. Penn State
is faster, more disciplined and
simply the better team.
The Wolf Pack needs to play better
at a faster tempo. Nevada was sloppy
against the up-tempo, committing
25 turnovers against Penn State and
16 turnovers against Butler. Johnson
must be able to run the offense
better and more quickly. At times,
the team looked overwhelmed
against the Lions.
The Wolf Pack, which trailed 34-32
at one point, saw the Lady Lions
pick up the pace and extend its lead
to 15 before halftime. In the span of
a few minutes, the game went from
being competitive to becoming a
blowout.
Kevorken and Danika Sharp look
like theyll be one heck of a duo in
terms of scoring, but it wasnt nearly
enough against Penn State. The Lions
simply had better athletes.
Based on recent success, its easy
to believe that Nevada is ready to
take the next step as a program. But
maybe its time to lower expecta-
tions.
The Wolf Pack isnt ready to
compete on a national level at
least not yet. The teams win against
Butler showed it can win a close
game. Its loss to Penn State showed
the team is a long ways off from
becoming an NCAA Tournament-
worthy team.
Albright has helped build Nevada
into one of the top contenders in the
Western Athletic Conference in each
of her seasons with the Wolf Pack.
Now, shell have to do something
more impressive: Get Nevada up to
speed with the big girls of college
basketball.
Lukas Eggen can be reached at sports@
nevadasagebrush.com.
Inside Scoop
B2
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
KATE KEVORKEN
WOMENS BASKETBALL
The senior guard excelled
during the Nugget Classic,
scoring a combined 37 points
during the Wolf Packs two
games as Nevada took second
place.
FOOTBALL
vs. Idaho 1:05 p.m. Saturday
THE SKINNY: The Wolf Pack
saw its Western Athletic
Conference title hopes
dashed Saturday in its loss
to Utah State. Now, Nevada
looks to end its two-game
losing streak and nish its
regular season with a victory
against the last-place Idaho
Vandals. Starting quarterback
Cody Fajardo, who injured
his ankle during the loss, will
likely be back in the lineup.
The Wolf Pack will hope to
avoid its rst three-game
losing streak of the season, as
well as its rst non-winning
season since its 6-7 record in
2007.
MENS BASKETBALL
vs. Washington 8 p.m. Friday
THE SKINNY: The Wolf
Pack returns home after
playing two games in Illinois
and has been playing well,
winning four of its last ve
games. Guard Deonte Burton
isnt having the season he
was expecting, averaging 11
points and shooting just 31
percent from the eld. Hes
also committed 15 turnovers.
Burton will have to play better
if the Wolf Pack wants to beat
Washington Friday, which
is 4-1 on the year. Senior
forward Dario Hunt also must
play better. Though he is a
defensive force as usual, hes
also committed 28 turnovers.
WOMENS BASKETBALL
vs. Pacic 7 p.m. Wednesday
at Portland State 2 p.m. Sunday
THE SKINNY: The Wolf
Pack nishes its three-game
homestand before traveling
Sunday to face Portland State.
Nevada will look to rebound
after a big loss to Penn State.
Guards Kate Kevorken and
Danika Sharp, and forward
Kayla Williams played
well at the Nugget Classic,
combining for 94 points in
the teams two games against
Butler and Penn State.
GARRETTVALENZUELA/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Though the Nevada football team is now 6-5 on
the season, the Wolf Pack is still bowl eligible
and has one more game on Saturday against
Idaho at Mackay Stadium.
KEEPING UP WITH THE PACK
Womens basketball is still a
work in progress despite hype
GARRETTVALENZUELA/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
The Wolf Pack womens basketball team is 2-3 on the season after suffering a 103-65 loss to Penn State on Saturday.
FOOTBALL
ON TAP
KATE KEVORKEN
WHOS HOT
WHOS NOT
Lukas
Eggen
nevadasagebrush.com
UPS AND DOWNS
1
3
4
2
5
Stat of the week
The Nevada football team
had 127 more total yards of
offense than Utah State, even
though the Wolf Pack lost 21-17
Saturday in Logan, Utah.

127
sports NOVEMBER 29, 2011 B3
nevadasagebrush.com
By Eric Lee Castillo
Nevada divers Stephanie
Hansen, Melyssa Charlton and
Grace Huang place in the top
15 of the three-day Wildcat Div-
ing Invitational in Arizona last
week.
Huang led the Wolf Pack. The
sophomore placed third diving
in the three-meter height, ninth
in the one-meter and third place
in platform diving.
It was a really long meet last-
ing for three days, and there was
so many people there, Huang
said. Usually a dual meet is like
six or eight girls in competition,
but at this there were 57 girls
competing.
You have to stay really focused
when diving, but with such a
long meet it was really hard to
maintain that focus when you
have to wait 40 minutes to an
hour for a turn.
Senior team captain Charlton
nished in 15th place and
sophomore Hansen placed sixth
place.
The event was the last of
the Wolf Packs regular season
meets, and though it was not
the most enjoyable for Nevada
divers, Wolf Pack head diving
coach Jian Li You said the event
is important every year for the
team.
Participants in the event are
regarded as some of the best in
the nation, according to You. The
event provided great exposure
and experience for her team.
The event was pretty long,
but its great because we get
to see a lot of people, like
our zone champions that we
might meet again in the NCAA
tournament, You said. Its a
higher invitational, and once
a year thats why we go its
very good for conference
because we get to see all the
good schools. Its good for us
because all the other schools
give us a lot of credit to see
our small team competing
amongst bigger programs.
Though sophomore diver
Jennifer Arnold, the fourth
and final Nevada diver on the
team, finished at the lower
end of Wolf Pack divers with a
score that placed her in 25th in
platform diving, it was a vast
improvement for her since she
finished dead last during her
freshman year at the invita-
tional.
Jennifer has a lot of area to
improve because she did a lot
of gymnastics before, You said.
That sport is a little bit different
than diving stye. If you have too
much it really hurt your dives so
her distance was a little far, and
it did a lot of things that hurt
her.
Last year she was barely mak-
ing it, but she has made a very
strong improvement getting rid
of a lot of bad habits.
Arnold says she has a lot more
condence compared with
last season, but that the most
important growth for the team
this season is chemistry.
All four of us have been close
from the start, and its really
helped us to have a team with
strong friendships that work
good together, Arnold said.
Were together pretty much all
day every day.
Eric Lee Castillo can be reached at
ecastillo@nevadasagebrush.com.
By Eric Lee Castillo
*Editors note: Wolf Pack diving coach Jian Li You
is in her 16th season as a Nevada coach. She earned
the Western Athletic Conference Diving Coach of
the Year Award in 2001 and againt in 2004. She has
coached two WAC Divers of the Year.
HOW DO YOU FEEL THE TEAM HAS
PROGRESSED TOWARD ITS GOALS THIS
SEASON?
In the very rst meet we beat Fresno State, and
we qualied for zone championships in March. So
after the (Western Athletic Conference) Tourna-
ment, well have a chance to qualify for the NCAA
tournament. Its hard to qualify in the early stage
so I think all of the girls are doing a really good job
and have gone even higher than my expectations.
Last week at the Arizona meet, we got to compete
against the Pac-12 divers, some from east coast.
All 57 of the divers competing were in peak condi-
tion. Three of our divers in made the top 15 and
made the nal. So it just goes to show how far our
team has come along. I was worried at the begin-
ning of the season but now not so much.
HOW DO YOU FEEL SOPHOMORE GRACE
HUANG HAS COMPETED THIS SEASON?
Grace is more condent this season, and she
knows a little more about the system. Its so differ-
ent compared to Taiwan, and because she trains
so hard she has been able to transition well in just
a year.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SENIOR CAP-
TAIN MELYSSA CHARLTONS PROGRESS
THIS SEASON?
With Melyssa I see her improving a lot in the
past three years. When she came she had only
done diving for a year and a half. So there were
a lot of dives she couldnt make. Shes steadily
learned them, but this year shes not just mak-
ing them. Shes making them look very pretty as
well.
WHAT ABOUT SOPHOMORE JENNIFER
ARNOLDS PROGRESS THIS SEASON?
Jennifer is improving a lot. As a freshman she
got last place at the Wildcat Invitational, and this
year she can crack the top competition. She has a
lot of potential, but she is young and has a ways
to go. She did a lot last year, but didnt make any
nals through three events. This year she has
made three so thats pretty huge for her.
HOW ABOUT SOPHOMORE STEPHANIE
HANSENS PROGRESS THIS SEASON?
Shes a girl thats very shy, and she has looked
nervous her freshman year. But since the Stan-
ford meet, I can see she has become a lot more
comfortable with competition. She just learned
most of her dives last year so she is coming along
nicely and it has been her goal to make top 16 in
the (Western Athletic Conference) tournament.
DO YOU FEEL HAVING FOUR DIVERS ON
THE TEAM IS A DISADVANTAGE SINCE
OTHER SCHOOLS HAVE MORE?
Right now I have a small number, but I believe
its a pretty high quality team. Some teams have a
big number, but theyll only get one diver in the
top 20. Why even have such a big team if theyre
not all competitive? Four girls is a pretty good
number because there are only a couple teams
with six or more girls. I dont think it gives them
an advantage unless they have six kids making the
nal. If you have that kind of team then its worth
it, but I get to give these girls more individual
coaching time.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE SEASON FLEW BY.
WHAT IS YOUR TEAM GOING TO DO TO
GET READY FOR ITS NEXT MEET, WHICH
IS THE WAC TOURNAMENT?
It did, and its because budget cuts made us
have to cut six of our meets and most of them
were schools with divers. They have 10 days off
over Christmas then we go to Hawaii training trip
for 10 days. Then well come back and get ready
with lots of conditioning to go to the conference
tournament.
Eric Lee Castillo can be reached at ecastillo@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
By Eric Lee Castillo
His No. 5 Nevada jersey is one
of the few that can be found at
the Silver and Blue Outtters
apparel store, and his smiling
face could be found pumping
up fans on the scoreboard in
Mackay Stadium during Wolf
Pack football games.
The junior running back,
who was bestowed the honor of
being named a Nevada Back
at the beginning of the season
by Wolf Pack head coach Chris
Ault, wont get a chance to fully
embrace the achievement.
Ault dismissed Mike Ball from
the team for an unknown rule
violation, and he wont have a
chance to play his senior season
of football at Nevada. Ball was
suspended twice previously, and
since this was his third offense,
he wont have another chance to
redeem himself.
Senior Nevada defensive line-
man and team captain Brett Roy,
who owns the locker neighbor-
ing Balls, says he cant imagine
what it would have been like to
have his senior season of football
taken away.
It would be hard for me to
put myself in Mikes shoes, Roy
said. It would be very upsetting
because its all we know.
The disciplined practice
schedule and the strict workout
routines take a sizeable chunk
out of anyones agenda, accord-
ing to Roy. It would be a hard
hole to ll on a calendar, but
the most difcult part would be
losing the camaraderie.
Its so structured, and to have
that kind of void in life after
experiencing it would be really
rough, Roy said. Not just the
football, but to being around
the team and the guys would be
impossible to replace.
To Roy, the football team is not
just a responsibility or a privilege
but a way of life.
Being a college player is so
different than being just a college
student, Roy said. Its Such a
bond that so many people dont
get to experience and for Mike
not to be able to get to do that
is heartbreaking for him I would
say.
Ball was very much a part of
the college football culture since
he was one of the more popular
members on the Nevada football
team.
Roy and teammates say they
can feel the loss of their former
teammate.
Its denitely different with-
out Mike because hes such a
high-energy person whos always
pretty positive, helpful and really
good to people having a down
day, Roy said. He would always
help bring you up by laughing,
singing or rapping because hes
such a magnetic person.
The reason why Ball was
released from the team is un-
known to Roy and Balls mother
Beatrice Heathman.
I dont know what happened,
but I talked to Mike, Heathman
said. He just told me that he
was no longer on the team and
that he would talk with me later
to explain what happened.
Balls phone call was short and
quiet, as described by his mother.
It was heartbreaking to hear.
Im as upset as any parent
would be, but things happen for
a reason, Heathman said. We
cant keep questioning it because
I know theres something bigger
and greater waiting for Michael
so hes going to be ne as long
as he has God, his family and
himself.
There have been plenty of ru-
mors as to why Ball was removed
from the team, but Ball did not
return phone calls requesting
explanation.
Hell talk when hes ready,
but for now hes just going to
be focusing on school and who
knows, maybe hell stay at Ne-
vada, Heathman said.
The Nevada athletic depart-
ment is restricted by law from
releasing any information
regarding what rules any player
breaks, according to Senior
Associate Athletic Director of In-
ternal Operations Keith Hackett.
Whether we think it would be
right to release the information or
not, were restricted by law to keep
the information condential,
Hackett said prior to the incident.
Mike was a good kid that just lost
sight of what was important there
for a little while.
Hackett was there to help Ball
through his prior rules viola-
tions to get him back on track
for success.
Heathman said she feels her
son was discouraged by the lack
of playing time he received over
the course of the season.
Mike has always been a tal-
ented player, and I truly believe
he didnt get enough playing time
for four or ve games, Heathman
said. He had one or two plays
and thats very discouraging.
When the season started I
came down and had a conversa-
tion with coach Ault, and he
looked at him and said, You
know youre the man this year.
Youre the one next in line.
Then the season started and
everybody else to played before
him. For Mike to sit on sidelines
knowing he could be out there
playing thats wrong that man
didnt keep his word.
Eric Lee Castillo can be reached at
ecastillo@nevadasagebrush.com.
TONYCONTINI /NEVADASAGEBRUSH
After an up-and-down career at Nevada, running back Mike Balls run with the Wolf Pack ended Nov. 22 when he was dismissed from the team.
Balls dismissal leaves team saddened, mother hopeful
Coachs corner: Jian Li You
Divers perform well at meet
FILEPHOTO/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Three Nevada divers nished in the top 15 on the third and nal day
of the Wildcat Diving Invitational (Nov. 20).
Nevada diving coach Jian Li
You immigrated to the United
States in September 1995 to help
members of the U.S. National
diving team prepare for the 1996
Atlanta Olympic Games.
As a diver, she was the Chinese
National Champion on the one-
meter, three-meter and platform
from 1976-1980.
Jian Li You
DIVING
Next weeks coachs corner: Chris Ault
The Dec. 6 Coachs Corner spotlight will feature 27th-year Nevada football
head coach Chris Ault. Take a look at his thoughts on the end of the Wolf
Packs regular season and his opinions on how the year played out.
MIKE BALLS CAREER AT NEVADA
Feb. 26, 2007: Ball commits to the
University of Nevada, Reno.
Nov. 22, 2011: Ball is dismissed from
the football team.
2008: Ball redshirts during his
rst year with the Wolf Pack after
breaking his foot.
Oct. 3, 2009: In the rst extended
playing time of his career, Ball rushed
for 184 yards and ve touchdowns
on ve carries vs. the University of
Nevada, Las Vegas.
Sept. 25, 2010: Ball is suspended
for the teams game against Brigham
Young University for undisclosed
reasons. He was also suspended
for the Wolf Packs following game
against UNLV on Oct. 2.
Oct. 30, 2010: Ball rushes for 58
yards and two touchdowns against
Utah State. The following game
against Idaho (Nov. 6, 2010), he
rushed for 101 yards and two more
scores.
Sept. 17, 2011: Ball earns the rst
start of his career against San Jose
State. He rushed for 124 yards and
two scores.
Oct. 29, 2011: Ball rushes 19 times for
93 yards vs. New Mexico State his
last carries for Nevada. He nished
the season with 704 yards and three
touchdowns on the ground.
the Nevada defense still had
about ve minutes to stop Utah
State and get the ball back to
its offense. But Utah State con-
verted two third-down attempts
and one fourth-down try on its
nal drive to run out the clock.
I had no doubt in my mind
we were going to get our offense
the ball back, Roy said. There
were just situations where some
calls could have been made
differently on the eld, and it
just didnt happen the way we
wanted.
The loss left an especially sour
taste in the mouths of Nevadas
seniors.
We lost a championship,
and as seniors thats something
we wanted to go out with so it
denitely hurt, and theres a lot
of frustration with that, Lantrip
said.
Although the Wolf Pack still
has a chance to earn a winning
record and an invitation to a
bowl game with a win over Idaho
on Saturday, Nevada head coach
Chris Ault explained to the me-
dia on Monday why the loss is
frustrating.
Theres no question its disap-
pointing, Ault said. Weve been
hiding a lot of things, and as you
well know, were not the most
talented team.
The Wolf Pack outgained the
Aggies in total offense by 127
yards, squandered a lead it held
the majority of the game and
committed six penalties that
gave up 64 yards during key situ-
ations.
We didnt play well enough to
win, Ault said. The penalties
on the offensive side of the ball
just killed us, and defensively
when we had to stop the run
we didnt, but we really had our
chances.
A stable of four Utah State run-
ning backs gained 199 rushing
yards and a touchdown on 43
attempts.
Senior Nevada defensive back
Isaiah Frey explained on Mon-
day that most of the defenses
struggles have been occurring
late in the game.
Its simple: Were not nishing
in the fourth quarter and thats
where most games are won and
lost, Frey said.
Ault substantiated Freys
statement with a telling statistic,
and when asked what he thinks
about what the seniors have
accomplished in their careers at
Nevada, his response was one of
tough love.
(We) Should have beaten
(Louisiana) Tech every year and
should have beaten Utah State
every year, Ault said. I mean
I love the seniors and thats a
special deal but I just told
them, You take Texas Tech and
these last two games and youre
looking at a nine-point differ-
ence its sick.
Nevadas seniors will always
have a chip on their shoulder
after suffering the loss, but the
upperclassmen graduating this
year will have one more chance
to establish their pride Saturday
for one last time in Mackay Sta-
dium. It will also mark the Wolf
Packs nal game as a member
of the Western Athletic Confer-
ence.
Saturday is going to be a
very emotional day, and its not
quite the ending we expected
but nevertheless its something
Im going to play for, Roy said.
Im a prideful person so I never
want to lose, and Im going to
do everything I can to win the
game.
Its the number one thing on
my mind because I dont want to
look back the rest of my life and
see a loss right there.
Eric Lee Castillo can be reached at
ecastillo@nevadasagebrush.com.
because it was a constant battle,
and obviously as a parent I was
ghting the school system to
excuse him.
Through her repeated calls to
the school, she made an ally that
might have been more help in
Viscontis snowboarding career
than he might have thought.
I called in for him so many
times that the school adminis-
trator knew right when I called,
Oh, Nicks not going to be able
to make it to school today,
Michelle said. I think the funny
part is that we really got to know
each other, and she was actually
a blessing.
Although it made her a friend
in the school system that still
recognizes her seven years later,
Michelle didnt look forward
to making those phone calls to
excuse absences. Her son was
just so persuasive.
He convinced me that he was
actually doing nothing in class
and that it was a waste of time,
Michelle said. So he would
study ahead of time at home,
and I was OK with it because he
stayed on top of his work.
True to his future interest
in communications, Visconti
negotiated a way to spend
three or four days a week dur-
ing high school pursuing his
passion on the mountains of
Tahoe, Calif.
MAKING HIS WAY TO THE
X GAMES
Though the rst time Vis-
conti went skiing was as an
18-month-old in Colorado, it
was the mountains of Tahoe that
trained him. Visconti lmed his
most recent video part in Think
Thanks Right Brain Left Brain
in the Tahoe area. The video also
features some footage of Visconti
using UNR as a terrain park.
He said the video, which was
released last winter, played a piv-
otal role in him being invited to
compete in the Winter X Games
second snowboard street contest
in its 15-year history.
The event is the Winter X
Games way to stay contempo-
rary and recreate a street-style
environment in the snow,
according to Visconti. The chal-
lenge to get creative when riding
a snowboard is parallel with
Viscontis philosophy as a rider.
Snowboarding is very much
artistic, Visconti said. The
video was well received, but
beyond that I was proud of what
I did because it ignited a sense
of creativity and that fuels a
modern-day renaissance within
the snow industry.
Athletes in extreme sports
push ingenuity to a new a height
every year, and the X Games is
one of the biggest stages in the
world to do it on. Visconti will t
right in since he is unofcially the
rst person to ever land a Christ
Air on a snowboard. Standing
on top of his board without his
bindings buckled over his boots,
Visconti launched off a jump at
Donner Summit, grabbed his
board with his right hand and
held it high over his head (as if
pointing to Jesus) as he went
blasting toward the landing.
Most people have trouble
getting off of a 2-foot-high
ski lift with just one binding
unstrapped, but for Visconti it
takes a 40-foot surge into the sky
with no bindings to start getting
difcult.
The trick was originally
intended for a skateboard since
feet are in no way restricted in
the sport. But Visconti has been
a skateboarder since he can re-
member, and he says it inspired
him to further fuse the sports
together.
It ignited some creativity for
the sport and helped me to explore
whats possible on a snowboard,
Visconti said. Ultimately, its
about reinventing yourself and
reinventing the sport.
Viscontis best friend and
fellow Nevada senior Brent
Oftedal was there for the trick
that helped Visconti become
one of the most progressive
snowboarders riding today, ac-
cording to ESPNs Matt Vanatta.
Oftedal got excited just talk-
ing about it and said it was
one of the most memorable
moments he has of his friend
of four-and-a-half years. For
about an hour Visconti worked
toward making snowboard
history with the support of
his friends rooting for him the
whole way.
There was probably about
six or seven of us trying to rally
around him, Oftedal said. We
made the landing perfect, made
sure everyone with a camera
was getting the right shot and
everyone there just tried to sup-
port in any way we could.
Oftedal was there for the
Christ Air, he was there at the
Downunder Caf for the phone
call from ESPN, and hell be
there when Visconti competes
in Winter X Games 16.
Hes going to be there as my
core support amping me up,
Visconti said. Hes my best
friend so Im super excited
because hes a sick shredder
himself, and it will be insane to
have a best bro there with me.
Although he doesnt get to ride
as much with his friends now
because of the business nature
of being a pro snowboarder,
Visconti says his favorite time to
ride is with his friends.
Snowboarding intersects
with every aspect of my life from
school, to my belief in God and
my close relationships with fam-
ily and friends, Visconti said.
Hopefully it can be a catalyst
to explore whats possible not
only on a snowboard but in life
as well.
Eric Lee Castillo can be reached at
ecastillo@nevadasagebrush.com.
sports B4 NOVEMBER 29, 2011 nevadasagebrush.com
with the Wolf Pack. That year
was tough for him because he
broke his foot so he spent a lot
of time doing rehabilitation
exercises and limping around
our apartment on crutches, but
he found ways to pass the time.
Mike made a music booth out
of an empty room we had, and
wed go in there often to make
hip-hop beats or record rap
songs.
One of his secret talents
was being a really good cook
and good dancer, and he
never shied away from showing
myself, our other roommate
(his cousin DAnthony) and his
friends these qualities.
And even though we were
pretty much on opposite
sides of the war zone at that
time (I was on the Sagebrush
staff and he was an athlete), it
never changed things. I was a
reporter and he was an athlete,
but he was simply Mike.
After he ran for 184 yards
and ve touchdowns against
the University of Nevada, Las
Vegas on Oct. 3, 2009, I was
on my way out of the press
conference room in the teams
locker room, and I saw him
talking to his family. He called
me over and introduced me
to his relatives and one of
his daughters. I also got to
see coach Heathman, Mikes
surrogate father and our high
school football coach.
Even though hed just blasted
himself into the limelight vs.
UNLV and had just walked out
of the interview room, Mike
wanted me to meet his family.
He didnt care that Id spent the
four hours before that analyzing
his moves on the football eld.
He was simply Mike.
And thats why it hurt so
much.
Not because another young
man with so much potential
got caught up and threw it all
away, but because that young
man was a good friend of mine
who I grew up alongside with
on the east side of Las Vegas.
Its difcult to see because
I want all of my friends to
succeed in whatever endeavors
they take on.
Its heartbreaking because
even though hes made some
very poor decisions along the
way, at the end of the day, hes
still my boy.
I know how bad Mike
wanted to be a professional
football player for his family,
his brothers, his children and
his friends, but since hes
used three years of eligibility
at Nevada, hell likely have to
transfer to a lower-division
school to continue playing
football collegiately.
But after that, who knows
what might happen to him?
After years of acting like a
regular person despite his
athletic prowess, he might very
well have to be a regular person.
Mike was always a man
among boys, but he always had
a childish persona. That child
caught up to him and led to his
dismissal.
But this is just another bump
in the road for him.
Hell come back.
If you can look up, you can
get up.
Get up, B.
Juan Lpez can be reached at
jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.
X Games
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1
COURTESYOFNICKVISCONTI /NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada senior Nick Visconti landed what was unofcially the rst-ever Christ Air in the history of snowboarding at Donner Summit.
Basketball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1
Football
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1
Ball
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1
TONYCONTINI /NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada senior defensive lineman and team captain Brett Roy will play his last game in Mackay Stadium on Saturday against Idaho University.
BYU leveled Nevada 76-55.
But the Wolf Packs ability
to compete at a national level
doesnt live and die with one
game. Nevada nearly beat
in-state rival University of Ne-
vada, Las Vegas at the Thomas
and Mack Center on Nov. 14
(71-67), and the Rebels turned
around to beat the then-No.
1 team in the nation, North
Carolina, 90-80 on Saturday in
Las Vegas.
The Wolf Pack (4-3) will have
another chance to test its abil-
ity on a national stage against
the University of Washington
(4-1) in its next game Friday at
Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada is primed to perform
well against Washington with
a few more games under its
belt and the brutal memory
of a 90-60 loss last year in the
Huskies house.
We got kind of embarrassed
last season so thats a game well
have circled on our schedule,
Carter said. That will be a big
test for us and good a indicator
of how we progressed from last
season.
Washington is coming off an
88-65 win over Houston Baptist
and Nevada is fresh off a gritty
64-59 victory over Bradley Uni-
versity on Saturday.
The Wolf Pack could be in
more of a groove than Wash-
ington since ve of its seven
matchups this season have
been true tests of determina-
tion. In all ve of those games,
Nevada had to push itself to the
limit in ghting for a victory.
Wolf Pack Worry
A reason for worry among
the team early in the season is
its deciency in the percentage
of shots its made this season.
At this point last season the
Wolf Pack was averaging 42.6
percent from the eld. Nevada
is shooting 40.4 percent this
season and shot just 26 percent
in its season-opening game
against Missouri State on Nov.
11.
The scoring woes for the Wolf
Pack have stretched to the free
throw line. Last season, Nevada
averaged a 66.4 percent clip
after seven games while this
year the team is making just
60.4 percent from the charity
stripe.
Another negative for the
team is that its on pace with last
years rate of turnovers. Nevada
was highly ridiculed for its
struggles holding onto the ball
last season with 111 turnovers
up to this point. Struggles have
gone under the radar this sea-
son as the Wolf Pack quietly has
109 compared to its opponents
89 this season.
But if Nevada can turn some
of these statistics around, its
reasonable to believe it can pull
off a victory over Washington.
Eric Lee Castillo can be reached at
ecastillo@nevadasagebrush.com.
sports NOVEMBER 29, 2011 B5
nevadasagebrush.com
WINTER
WONDERLAND
Relieve stress on Dead Day!
Come and enjoy:
Ice Skating Rink in the Joe Ballroom
1ubing down a giant hill in ront o the KC
lree snacks, energy drinks, and more!
finals prep day
wednesday,
december
ourteenth
CHARITY BANQUET
Join us or a charity dinner at 7 pm in the Joe Ballrooms. 1ickets
are >10 or 10 cans o ood. Canned ood donated to ASUN ood pantry
RSVP at the ASUN front desk by Dec 10th, 3rd floor of the Joe
&
ASUN supports providing equal access to all programs for people with disabilities. Persons with disabilities
requiring accommodations are encouraged to contact 775-784-6589 or email specialevents@asun.unr.edu
SATURDAY, NOV. 26
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 T
Nevada 3 7 7 0 17
Utah State 0 7 14 0 21
Nevada Utah State
Rushing Rushing
No. Yds TD No. Yds TD
Mark, L 22 111 1 Williams, K 9 71 1
Fajardo, C 10 45 0 Turbin, R 18 61 0

Passing Passing
Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD
Fajardo, C 19-25-0 180 0 Kennedy, A 7-14-1 140 1
Lantrip, T 8-10-0 135 1 Morrison, S 1-1-0 34 1
Receiving Receiving
No. Yds TD No. Yds TD
Matthews, R 12 205 1 Austin, M 2 61 1
Louks, C 7 36 0 Turbin, R 2 36 1

Defense Defense
Tackles Sacks Int Tackles Sacks Int
Marshall, B 12 0 0 Wagner, B 15 0 0
Johnson, M 9 0 0 Gallagher, K 11 1 0
Williams, D 7 0 0 Brady, M 10 0 0
Kickoff Returns Kickoff Returns
No. Yds Long No. Yds Long
Brock, K 2 40 23 Williams, K 3 43 16
Football
RESULTS
2011 WAC STATISTICAL
LEADERS
Category Name School Statistic
Rushing Robbie Rouse FS 124.4
yds/game
Receiving Rishard Matthews NEV 113.6
yds/game
Tackles Bobby Wagner USU 12.2
tackles/game
Sacks Brett Roy NEV 0.91
sacks/game
Passing Matt Faulkner SJSU 286.3
yds/game
Scoring Robert Turbin USU 12.0
points/game
Total Offense Bryant Moniz UH 302.6
yds/game
2011 NATIONAL
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Category Name School Statistic
Rushing LaMichael James Oregon 142.7
yds/game
Receiving Jordan White W. Michigan 137.17
yds/game
Tackles Luke Kuechly BC 15.92
tackles/game
Sacks Whitney Mercilus Illinois 1.21
sacks/game
Passing Case Keenum Houston 393.83
yds/game
Scoring Montee Ball Wisconsin 17.0
points/game
Total Offense Case Keenum Houston 397.42
yds/game
nevadasagebrush.com
B6
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
Gameday
AP TOP 25
at San Jose State
W 17-14
SEPT. 17
at Texas Tech
L 35-34
SEPT. 24
at Boise State
L 30-10
OCT. 1
vs. UNLV
W 37-0
OCT. 8
vs. Fresno State
W 45-38
OCT. 22
at NMSU
W 48-34
OCT. 29
vs. Hawaii
W 42-28
NOV. 12
vs. La. Tech
L 24-20
NOV. 19
at Utah State
L 21-17
NOV. 26
vs. New Mexico
W 49-7
OCT. 15
at Oregon
L 69-20
SEPT. 10
vs. Idaho
Saturday
TIME: 1:05 p.m.
THIS WEEKS GAME
1. LSU (60) 12-0
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 10-1
4. Stanford 11-1
5. Virginia Tech 11-1
6. Arkansas 10-2
7. Houston 12-0
8. Oregon 10-2
9. Boise State 10-1
10. USC 10-2
11. Michigan State 10-2
12. Georgia 10-2
13. Oklahoma 9-2
14. South Carolina 10-2
15. Wisconsin 10-2
16. Kansas State 9-2
17. Michigan 10-2
18. TCU 9-2
19. Baylor 8-3
20. Nebraska 9-3
21. Clemson 9-3
22. West Virginia 8-3
23. Penn State 9-3
24. Southern Miss 10-2
25. Florida State 8-4
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES
Notre Dame 53, Texas 45,
Cincinnati 23, Arkansas State 18,
Georgia Tech 16, Brigham Young
13, Missouri 13, Virginia 9, Tulsa 7,
Louisville 3, Northern Illinois 1
*Nevada opponents in bold
Wolf Pack seeks pride
in last game in WAC
* 2011 statistics (national rank in parentheses)
Nevada Category Idaho
OFFENSE
254.18 (11) Rushing 111.91 (104)
262.82 (31) Passing 189.18 (88)
143.93 (30) Pass Efciency 102.63 (113)
517 (5) Total 301.09 (112)
30.82 (38) Scoring 21.82 (99)
DEFENSE
147 (57) Rushing 152.45 (61)
123.20 (43) Pass Efciency 138.62 (87)
378 (61) Total 423.18 (92)
27.27 (64) Scoring 31.18 (91)
SPECIAL TEAMS/MISC.
36.18 (67) Net Punting 40.90 (3)
12.75 (15) Punt Returns 14.63 (8)
21.36 (66) Kickoff Returns 19.85 (96)
-.27 (82) Turnover Margin -.36 (89)
TALE OF THE TAPE
2011 STATISTICAL LEADERS
Idaho
Player Category Avg./Game
B. Reader Passing yds 182.90 (70)
P. McCarty Rushing yds 58.90 (NR)
M. Scott Receiving yds 62.30 (84)
T. Robinson Tackles 9.82 (25)
K. Toomer Tackles for loss 0.91 (NR)
Q. Ashley Interceptions .27 (54)
J. Veltung Punt returns yds avg. 16.4 (NR)
T. Farquhar Scoring 4.55 (NR)
Nevada
Player Category Avg./Game
C. Fajardo Passing yds 183.00 (69)
C. Fajardo Rushing yds 75.56 (62)
R. Matthews Receiving yds 113.64 (7)
B. Marshall Tackles 7.91 (83)
B. Roy Tackles for loss 1.59 (9)
K. Wooten Interceptions .36 (17)
R. Matthews Punt return yds avg. 14.05 (5)
C. Fajardo Scoring 7.56 (59)
2011 WAC STANDINGS
Standings Conference Overall
Louisiana Tech 6-1 8-4
Nevada 4-2 6-5
Utah State 4-2 6-5
Hawaii 3-4 6-6
San Jose State 3-4 5-7
Fresno State 3-4 4-8
New Mexico State 2-4 4-8
Idaho 1-5 2-9
Date Opponent Time
Sept. 1 Bowling Green L 32-15
Sept. 10 North Dakota W 44-14
Sept. 17 at Texas A & M L 37-7
Sept. 24 Fresno State L 48-24
Oct. 1 at Virginia L 21-20 (OT)
Oct. 8 Louisiana Tech L 24-11
Oct. 15 at New Mexico State L 31-24
Oct. 29 Hawaii L 16-14
Nov. 5 at San Jose State W 32-29
Nov. 12 at BYU L 42-7
Nov. 19 Utah State L 49-42 (2OT)
Saturday at Nevada 1:05 p.m.
D t O t Ti
IDAHOS SCHEDULE
* (national rank in parentheses)
GARRETTVALENZUELA/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
The Wolf Pack offense has accumulated 5,687 total yards this season while opponents have earned 4,158 yards of offense
on the Nevada defense.
Nevada aims to bolster its bowl game rsum with win
over last-place Idaho in nal game as WAC team
MAKING THE CALL
PESSIMIST SAYS: Idaho adds to Ne-
vadas late-season woes by upsetting the
Wolf Pack. Quarterback Brian Reader has
a big game while Nevadas offense once
again turns the ball over in key situations.
The Vandals take advantage by grabbing
an early lead and holding off the Nevada
defense. The Wolf Pack doesnt recover
and it ends the regular season with its
longest losing streak in years.
OUTCOME: Idaho wins 31-24
DIFFERENCE MAKER BRIAN READER
OPTIMIST SAYS: After two-straight
losses, the Wolf Pack bounces back
against the WACs worst team.
Nevadas offense gets rolling early,
except with this team, it doesnt sputter
in the second half as receiver Rishard
Matthews explodes for a big game.
Nevadas defensive line gets pressure
all game long, shutting down Idahos
offense and controlling the game.
OUTCOME: Nevada wins 34-10
The Idaho quarterback has had an inconsistent season. Hes thrown 10 touch-
downs and 10 interceptions as the Vandals have struggled to a 2-9 overall record.
However, Readers less-than-stellar statistics cant be blamed on him entirely.
Idaho has given up 27 sacks this season and running back Princeton McCarty is
not having the season many thought he would.
For the Vandals to have a chance at the upset, Reader must be more accurate
than the 55 percent completion percentage hes posted this year. If Nevadas
offense gets back on track, the Vandals will have to score a lot of points to win.
Reader must go to the air early and often to get Idahos offense rolling.
GARRETTVALENZUELA/NEVADAS
d 5,687 total yards this season while opponents have earned 4,158 yards of
to Ne-
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grabbing
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recover
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DIFFERENCE MA
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However, Readers
Idaho has given up
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than the 55 percent
offense gets back o
R d t t t
Idaho at Nevada
When: Saturday, 1:05 p.m.
Where: Mackay Stadium
(29,993 FieldTurf)
TV: N/A
Season records: Nevada
(6-5 overall, 4-2 WAC),
Idaho (2-9 overall, 1-5
WAC)
All-time series record:
Nevada leads 19-9
The coaches: Head coach
Robb Akey is 19-42 in his
fth season at Idaho. Nevada
head coach Chris Ault is in
his 27th season at Nevadas
helm and is 225-102-1 .
Idaho at Nevada
THIS WEEKS GAME
Idahos offensive line vs.
Brett Roy
The Vandals offensive line
has struggled to protect
quarterback Brian Reader,
giving up 27 sacks this season.
Facing defensive lineman Brett
Roy, who has emerged as one
of the nations top linemen
tackles for loss, the line must
nd a way to take Roy out of
the game.
Idahos offensive line vs
KEY MATCHUP
COURTESYOF IDAHOATHLETICS
Vandals quarterback Brian
Reader.
BCS STANDINGS
1. LSU 12-0
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 10-1
4. Stanford 11-1
5.Virginia Tech 11-1
6. Houston 12-0
7. Boise State 10-1
8. Arkansas 10-2
9. Oregon 10-2
10. Oklahoma 9-2
11. Kansas State 9-2
12. South Carolina 10-2
13. Michigan State 10-2
14. Georgia 10-2
15. Wisconsin 10-2
16. Michigan 10-2
17. Baylor 8-3
18. TCU 9-2
19. Nebraska 9-3
20. Clemson 9-3
21. Penn State 9-3
22. Texas 7-4
23. West Virginia 8-3
24. Southern Miss 10-2
25. Missouri 7-5
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*Nevada opponents in bold
STAFF PICKS
By Lukas Eggen
This is a game about pride for the Wolf Pack especially
since any chance of winning the Western Athletic Conference
championship is gone. For the Vandals, its a similar story;
theyre looking to close out the season on a high note after
suffering a double-overtime loss Nov. 19 to Utah State.
HIGHS AND LOWS
At times, Idaho has looked like an offensive juggernaut.
Other times its looked anemic. Quarterback Brian Reader is a
big reason for both the Vandals success and
failures. In fact, Readers year represents
Idahos roller coaster season. Reader
is completing 55 percent of his
passes and has thrown 10 touch-
downs and 10 interceptions.
Readers uneven play has
contributed to some close losses
for Idaho, including a 49-42 loss
in double-overtime to the Aggies.
But Vandals fans are no strangers to
heartbreak this season; Idaho has
four losses by seven or fewer
points, including two
overtime losses.
Its clear Reader
will have to step
up his game for the
Vandals offense to
go. Wide receiver
Mike Scott has been
Readers top target,
leading the team in
receptions with 51,
but averages just 62.1
yards per game and
has two receiving
touchdowns.
Running backs
Princeton McCarty
and Kama Bailey have
been the workhorses for
the teams rushing attack. However,
neither have impressed, combining
for 96.6 yards per game and ve
rushing touchdowns.
The biggest problem facing the
Vandals may be its offensive line,
which has given up 27 sacks and 65
tackles-for-loss this season. Those
combined factors have resulted in
Idaho completing just 28 percent of
its third downs attempts, a fact Idaho
must improve on when facing the Wolf
Pack.
Facing a Nevada front seven that
includes Brett Roy and Kaelin Burnett,
who have a combined 15 sacks and 25.5
tackles-for-loss, Idahos offensive line will
have to dig deep and give Reader time to nd
open receivers and its running backs lanes to
run through.
IDAHOS DEFENSIVE WEAKNESS
The Vandals defense also has to improve fast. Giving up
31.2 points per game and 423.2 total yards per game, Idahos
defense has been anything but special. Though it held Hawaii
to 16 points (a 16-14 loss), it also gave up 49 to Utah State.
Korey Toomer and Benson Mayowa have been among the
most consistent players for the Vandals in terms of getting
pressure in the backeld, combining for 14.5 tackles-for-loss
and seven sacks. But, Idaho lacks a consistent pass rush or
penetration into the backeld two factors that dont bode
well when facing the Wolf Packs offense.
Lukas Eggen can be reached at sports@nevadasagebrush.com.