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page 9JanuarY 27, 2015

The

Quick takes on life from our editors

Yesterday, University of Idaho President Chuck Staben made a proposal

to the Joint Finance-Appro-priations Committee (JFAC) of the Idaho State Legislature, requesting the state fully fund a 3 percent pay increase for UI faculty and staff.In return, he promised to freeze tuition at the current rate for in-state undergraduate students.

If the state approves Sta-ben’s proposal, the 2015-2016 academic year will be the first time UI in-state undergraduate students do not see an increase in tuition in over two decades.

Staben’s promise follows a request by Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter for a 3 per-

cent pay increase for all state employees, including those in higher education. Otter made the request at the beginning of the legislative session and offered $5.5 million from the state for the State Board of Education to distribute among Idaho schools.

With the distribution, UI would need to cover about half the money that makes up the 3 percent increase — approxi-mately $1.6 million — unless legislators decide to provide the additional funding and cover the full cost of an increase.

With his request, Staben’s first-ever presentation to JFAC showed his potential as a leader for UI.

His proposal is a reflection of his desire to find a solution to help UI employees — whose salaries are roughly 85 per-cent of those at peer institu-

tions — as well as ease the ever-growing financial burden on students, yet maintain the overall quality of the academic experience at UI.

Staben’s proposal showed he is willing to stand up for students, faculty and staff at UI, as well as any students looking to attend UI in the future.

But, no matter how well intentioned Staben’s proposal is, students should be accustomed to disappointment when it comes to state funding for edu-cation. Staben’s proposal, while noble, will likely be unproduc-tive in actually influencing a fund shift and increasing state CEC funding — as unfortunate as that reality may be.

If the state refuses to comply with his proposal — and it’s likely they won’t — it’s clear students should expect a tuition increase, just as they’ve seen

every year prior in order to keep up with university costs and fulfill Otter’s request for employee raises.

Though a fully state funded CEC is improbable, students should be wary of what a de-clined proposal and a state man-date for salary increases could mean for their tuition rates.

As the legislature moves forward in considering pro-posals and determining state funding, students have an increased stake in this year’s legislative session — one that could actually impact their bank accounts.

There’s no simple solution to stopping tuition increases or paying employees competitive wages, but Staben is clearly try-ing to solve both issues and for that he must be commended.

— EB

our view

Sweet tooth Some days, all I want is cheesecake. 

—Erin

Benjamin Netanyahu Why does his address to Congress have to be in March? I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.

—Andrew

George Wood He’s our legislative reporter down in Boise this semester and he’s slaying. Check out his stories in The Argonaut and online, and follow him on Twitter @GeorgiePine7 for live coverage.

—Kaitlyn

Super Bowl It is like some kind of cult holiday. Everyone gets together with friends and family and gorges on almost as much food as we force feed on Thanksgiving. What does that say about a nation?

—Claire

Artsy Does that word describe you?

If so, you should probably apply to join the Blot team. Yay for creative people.

—Katelyn

False springAll this warm weather is confus-

ing my brain. I keep thinking I must have lost a couple months somehow: there’s no way it’s really January. 

—Daphne

#toolateOf course UI tuition has a

chance of freezing the year I gradu-ate. That WOULD happen to me.

—Amber

Driving > walkingAfter a year and a half without

a car, I finally saved up enough to purchase another vehicle. Perfect timing, too — now I can drive home to watch the Super Bowl.

—Korbin

Amazing staffAgain, when things go bad, I’m

reminded I work with great people here at The Arg.

—Stephan

NewbieWait, I say stuff and you put it in

the paper?—Jack

WeekendWhat a fun time. Can’t wait til

next Sunday. #bandwagonfan—Ryan

My friends and mentors have been hassling me to get a girlfriend for a while. So in an effort to meet new people, I subjected myself to the lowest form of matchmak-ing there is: Tinder.

Swipe left. Left. Left. Left again. Wow, she looks interesting. Swipe right.

Those who have explored the strange world of Tinder know what I’m talking about.

For those who don’t, the premise is simple. The app syncs through Facebook and shows the profiles of other — pre-sumably single — people in the area. Users decide whether or not they are interested in the person

based on profile pictures taken from Facebook and a brief personal description.

If a user swipes left on a person, they are not inter-ested. If both users swipe right on each other, they get matched and enter into a message conversation.

This is where Tinder gets sassy. “This screen would look a lot better with a conversation in it,” or “Tinder can’t do the typing for you.” Thanks Tinder,

starting a conversa-tion with a complete stranger is not awkward enough without you acting like a snarky, slightly inebriated wingman.

It helps to have some kind of common interest with the person, but nothing can escape the natural hesitation and self-doubt that comes with staring at a blank screen.

Call me unoriginal, but I start out with a joke. I usually make fun of the fact that I play the trombone. I’ve also been known to try a few knock-knock jokes now and then.

Cheesy? Yes. Effective? Re-sults may vary.

On the Palouse, there is a large Greek showing on Tinder. With two healthy Greek systems only eight miles apart, sorority signs and smiling faces were a common sight for me while surf-ing the app. And although almost every WSU sorority girl passed on me — go figure — I had my fair share of success meeting in-die, literary types near Moscow.

Let me be clear (insert Obama voice over): Tinder is

shallow, and it has no problem embracing the stereotype. It’s not helpful to people looking for a serious relationship — if this wasn’t obvious before.

It combines the need for quick entertainment with the instinct to judge people by their looks, which is an easy thing to do.

When users reject somebody, a red “Nope” sign appears on the person’s picture as it slides off the screen. At first, I found this to be a crude and unneces-sary way to pass on somebody. But the more time I spent on the app, the more I realized how comical the red sign and the entire app was.

The trick to Tinder is not taking it seriously and embracing the oddity of it all, the swiping, the weird conversations and the awkward moment when you get matched with a classmate you don’t have much interest in. The

app doesn’t try to pretend to be something it’s not, and in a strange way I respect that.

It’s an app to check between classes, and it allows users to have a fun conversation with someone new. For me, it served as a reminder of how many people out there are looking to be a little less lonely, and a reminder of how many people want to get laid.

In large part, it’s what every generation is like in their early 20s.

But with millennials, it comes out in apps like Tinder and the number of other offshoot dating apps designed for hooking up.

And yes, we will all look back 20 years from now and be embarrassed by the shallowness of it all, but we’re not there yet, so until then, swipe away.

Ryan Tarinellican be reached at

arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

Time with Tinder My experience with the notorious dating app

Andrew Jenson

Ryan Tarinelliargonaut

Staben’s strong proposalStaben proposal to JFAC a strong move, but may not gain approval

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page 9april 14, 2015

The things I doHad you asked me a

year ago if I would write a profile about a turtle, I would have laughed at you. But Killer, the house turtle during Turtle Der-by, will be a fun character to interview.

—Claire

Jordan SpiethWinning the Masters

at the age of 21. Golf is in good hands with him and 25-year-old Rory McIlroy battling it out each week for years to come.

—Korbin

2016With all of the

recent announcements from Republicans and Democrats running for president, it’s about time I launch my blog where I can put my two loves to-gether: political analysis and writing. 

—Amber

Three of a kindSheesh, now we’ve

got Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio running for the GOP nomination? That’s almost too good to be true. Here’s hoping Jeb Bush doesn’t run.

—Andrew

Tunnel visionTime to forget about

my social life and put my blinders up. There’s too much stuff to get done this week, but once it’s over with I’ll feel much better. Finals week will be a breeze compared to this. 

—Erin

Dressy dressyI’ve always said I

wanted a career where I can dress up for work. This week is giving me a taste of that.

—Katelyn

Broke college student

It’s getting to that point in the semester again.

—Stephan

SenioritisAs it gets nicer out-

side, and the number of weeks left in school decreases, it’s getting harder to focus on schoolwork. I just need to pay a little more atten — SQUIRREL! 

—Daphne

I'd rather not adult today

Paying my car pay-ment, rent, bills and buy-ing groceries in one day makes me miss simpler times, and my parents.

—Kaitlyn

Game Of ThronesI’m watching it

tonight. Don’t tell me a thing. La, la, la, la. I’m covering my ears. I can’t hear you.

—Ryan

The Hole, part 4Soaring in clouds

and flirting with hens, he thought his life had meaning. The people thought not, but rather, felt, that their truths were worth believing.

—Jack

The

Quick takes on life from our editors

Andrew Jenson argonaut

our view

This time every year students, faculty and staff turn their attention to the Idaho State Board of Education.

This annual interest in the board is focused on the tuition proposals from Idaho’s universi-ties and the outcome of the board’s vote.

In recent years, the board has showed con-cern for the rising price of higher education — an attitude appreciated by students who’ve felt the skyrocketing tuition levels the most.

But as much as students hate to see the price tag on their education increase, the last thing they want is to compromise the quality of the educational experience at their university.

This year, University of Idaho administrators are asking for a modest 3.5 percent increase in annual resident undergraduate tuition and fees.

The $2.7 million in additional revenue

from this proposal would cover the bare min-imum — a state-mandated salary increase for all university employees and the costs associated with library inflation. The board will hear presentations from all universities regarding their tuition requests and make their decision at their meeting this week on UI’s campus.

Students should understand that with en-rollment declines and less-than-adequate state funding, revenue has to come from somewhere to cover the costs of running a university.

The requested increase this year won’t be used to address the university’s nearly $300 mil-lion in deferred maintenance expenses or make any new additions to the university. It truly is a bare minimum request as administrators share the concerns of the board and of students when it comes to the accessibility and affordability of education in the state.

But if UI’s tuition proposal is not approved, administrators will have to take a hard look at

the current budget and find places to make cuts in order to fund the state-mandated Change in Employee Compensation and still cover basic costs. These cuts would likely compromise the current resources available to students and the quality of the university as a whole.

As much as students hate to see yet another tuition increase, it is vital to maintaining the university’s current operations. The state board members should approve this request — which is the lowest requested increase in a decade.

The administration’s effort to keep the in-crease as low as possible, maintain the quality of the university students have come to know and love and provide much-deserved and long overdue salary increases for faculty and staff, is appreciated.

Now it’s up to the state board to do what’s right and approve the increase the university sorely needs.

— KK

Tuition increase necessarySBOE should approve proposed 3.5 percent tuition increase

Maybe you thought you had time between classes to run home and take a nap, since you only got five hours of sleep last night. Then, you realized you had a paper due in your next class, and you haven’t even started it yet.

Stress is something all college students deal with, some of us better than others. But what exactly is stress and how does it affect your ability to perform?

The American Institute of Stress outlines four types of stress. Acute stress sends our bodies into the “fight or flight” response where breathing and heart rate increase and blood is forced out to the muscles, allowing quick reactions to potential threats.

Chronic stress impacts us over a long period of time. It can be caused by classes, jobs, relationships, societal pressures, financial burdens and many other factors. We tend to ig-nore chronic stress, which eventually dampens our immune system and makes us vulnerable to infection and disease.

Eustress is what we associate with positive outcomes, for example, finishing a paper for class before it is due. The last kind of stress is distress, which we associate with negative consequences, such as running out

of time to finish an assignment, breaking up with a partner, losing money or various other scenarios.

Not all stress is bad. A fire alarm ignites a stress response in yourself to help you get out of harm’s way. We would consider this an acute

eustress response.Stress is inevitable, but when does

it go from being something helpful to something that ultimately hurts us? This brings us back to chronic stress and distress. According to the American Psychological Association, people who are chronically stressed tend to be more likely to suffer from insomnia, anxiety and depression. Creating a stress-man-agement plan can be vital for coping with

stress in a busy college life.Don’t be discouraged if you are so stressed

you don’t know what to do. Take a deep breath. Take a couple.

Deep breathing has been a proven way to increase the relaxation response, which is the body’s natural cue to calm itself down — de-creased heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breath-ing and muscle tension.

Check out this list for other tips to de-crease stress:

1) Keep a smile and a positive attitude.2) Avoid alcohol and other drugs.3) Exercise regularly.4) Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit

and vegetables.5) Take short breaks from studying.6) Communicate with friends, family and

professors about what is causing your stress.In addition to the self-help tools above,

the University of Idaho offers resources for stress management. Campus partners will host various “de-stress” activities during dead week to help students take time for themselves — check uidaho.edu/vandalheal-thed for the complete schedule in the next few weeks.

You can also schedule an appointment at the Counseling & Testing Center to speak with a knowledgeable counselor about your stress. They also offer a 24-hour crisis line at (208) 885-6716.

The Student Recreation Center is a good place to get in a workout and is home to the Vandal Health Ed Resource Room where you can talk with certified peer educators about re-sources and self-help stress management tips.

Samuel Berg is a certified peer educator and can be reached at

vandalhealthed@uidaho.edu

‘Keep calm and carry on’

gueST voiCe

Samuel Berg certified Peer educator

Write us a 300-word letter to the editor.

arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

page 9JanuarY 30, 2015

SundaySo pumped for the very first Super Bowl I

actually care about!—Erin

Add the WordsHere I am disappointed in Idaho again. I

should stop getting my hopes up for progress in this state.

—Kaitlyn

The mighty 'R'I don’t know what makes me more upset:

the fact that the Add the Words bill died in committee, or that Idaho Republicans refuse to reach across the aisle no matter what. Shame on you. 

—Amber

Super bowl 2.0I don’t know who to root for. I hate both

teams equally. Uhm ... go Lions?—Claire

Claire We’re not friends anymore. #GoHawks

—Korbin

The useful side of FacebookIf you had told me five years ago I’d be

using Facebook groups extensively, I’d have thought you were joking. Now, I have one for every class, and several for work. It’s funny how things change. 

—Daphne

Some of Our Legislators...Who thought for heaven, hallowed be my

game. Thy kingdom come, thy oppression done.—Jack

PrayingRecent decisions by the LCMS make me

fearful for the Synod’s future. I applaud President Matthew Harrison’s stance and pray the issue may be quickly resolved. False teachings and un-repentant teachers have no place in the Church.

—Andrew

Football I’ve never watched a Super Bowl game and

don’t plan on starting now. I’m the odd one out as the game achieves a national holiday status now. 

—Katelyn

What a weekGuess what I’m doing this weekend

— nothing. Well, I guess I will be watch-ing that game everyone is talking about. #GoHawks #bandwagonfan

—Ryan

HolidayWhether it’s the halftime show, commer-

cials or the actual game, all eyes are on the Super Bowl this Sunday.

—Stephan

our View

The It’s On Us campaign has finally made its way to the Univer-sity of Idaho.

It’s On Us aims to bring aware-ness to sexual assault on and off college campuses. Awareness campaigns like this are a critical part in stopping sexual assault and changing public perception of an issue held in the dark for far too long.

UI is just one of the 200 universities around America to take on the campaign, according to whitehouse.gov. That number alone should indicate the severity of the problem and the tremendous support behind the campaign.

Along with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, celebrities such as Jon Hamm, Common and Kerry Washington have also given their support to the campaign. From the looks of itsonus.org, the campaign also has its fair share of support from nonprofits, athletic

conferences, TV stations and major corporations.

It’s good to see ASUI take the lead on a campaign that has the power to shift perceptions on an issue that impacts college campuses around the country,

including UI. While the campaign does not coor-dinate formal educational programs, it does offer helpful tips on preventing sexual assault. The cam-paign gives tips to stu-dents on how to identify situations when a sexual assault could occur, how to intervene if necessary

and how to create a place where survivors are supported.

The campaign may address a difficult subject, but it will make a great impact on campus if stu-dents pay attention. One of the goals of the campaign is to have students make a series of videos supporting the fight against sexual assault.

Hopefully the campaign can expand further to include classes

devoted to stoping sexual as-sault, domestic violence, stalking and harassment.

People need to know there is a lot an individual can do to help survivors of sexual vio-lence. For example, one could receive Green Dot training, where participants learn how to intervene and prevent acts of violence. There is also Alterna-tive To Violence on the Palouse (ATVP) where one could help

survivors of sexual assault through their worst times.

There are many things Mos-cow has to offer when it comes to helping survivors of sexual assault. The It’s On Us campaign lets students know they can get involved on a national level. This is a step toward stopping not only just sexual assault, but hopefully other types of violence as well. It is critical UI students, staff and

faculty members learn as much as possible and take the It’s On Us pledge.

The community must real-ize incidents of sexual assault happen more often than most people think, and it’s on us to make the change.

Jessy Forsmo-Shadid can be reached at

arg-opinion@uidaho.edu

It’s good to see ASUI take the lead on a campaign that has the power to

shift perceptions on an issue that impacts col-lege campuses around

the country, including UI.

Jessy Forsmo-ShadidJessy

Forsmo-ShadidArgonaut

The

Quick tAkes on life from our editors

It’s On Us campaign positive force, student participation

Amdrew JensonArgonaut

Arby’s opening could help Moscow move on from tragedy

Stop by the Moscow Arby’s if you’re looking for a place to eat this weekend.

Small gestures can go a long way, and even stopping in for a sandwich and curly fries at the Moscow Arby’s can show support for the restau-rant — the site of a tragedy.

Arby’s, located on the Moscow-Pullman highway, reopened Monday with little fanfare after being closed for more than two weeks due to a tragic shooting that left three dead and one injured.

The Arby’s staff lost one

of their own, beloved Man-ager Belinda Niebuhr in the shooting. Belinda’s picture now hangs in the restaurant and her apron is framed.

This restaurant has been through a lot in the past two weeks, and it deserves the community’s support in mov-ing on from this tragedy.

Although memories of the victims are still pres-ent, moving on from these horrible tragedies is a major part of the grieving process. The return to a sense of normalcy is how communi-ties heal and how those who were directly affected by the tragedy find peace.

This is also how commu-nities show the perpetrators

of these horrible crimes that their actions cannot dimin-ish the spirit of Moscow, and the residents of the city seem determined to exem-plify this. This is an opportu-nity to move forward and to continue to make Moscow a better place to live.

Far too often scenes of tragedy are demolished as communities attempt to move on. The physical structure acts as a con-stant reminder of a hor-rible memory. Sandy Hook Elementary and the library at Columbine High School are both examples of structures demolished in the wake of a mass shooting.

Instead of viewing the res-

taurant as a scene of a tragic shooting, Moscow should view it as a symbol of unity and resilience within our community. This is an oppor-tunity to show the strength of Moscow residents and their ability to move forward.

There seems to be an Arby’s in every town, but this one is ours. And now, the restaurant has become associated with the tragic history of mass shootings in Moscow. However, the res-taurant’s memory can mean much more.

It can represent Moscow’s ability move forward to a bet-ter future.

—RT

Moscow moves on

It’s on us, UI