His mother had no idea. She knew her son, Ben Duran, was in New York City for a Model United Nations Conference with the Boise State club of the same name. She knew Ben had flown into the city two days prior to the conference in order to save money on a plane ticket. What she did not know, however, was how the Boise State sophomore spent those two days. “I never really felt worried about my situation,” Ben said. Ben Duran, a political science and economics major, flew into the Big Apple early in the morning of March 22. The Model UN Conference did not start until the evening of March 23, however, and Ben was unable to check into his hotel until the first day of the conference. “Just get by. That was the plan for two days,” Ben said. Ben spent the next two days wandering the streets of the most populous city in the United States. When he felt the traveler’s exhaustion creeping up on him,... ...
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Author Archives : McKenzie Perkins
McKenzie is a freshman majoring in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Media Studies and a certificate in Public Relations. She has eclectic interests in travel, sports, literature, and political science. She also works for KTVB Channel 7 and Boise State Public Radio. Follow her on Twitter @kenzperks
Why are you in college? Many students will respond to this question with the major or career which they intend to pursue. “I’m an English major.” “I want to be a nurse.” “I’m studying Political Science.” The implication of these answers is that, while they are highly specific, they are not at all conclusive in terms of what students will actually learn and it completely ignore the ways which students change during their collegiate years. For these reasons, it is important students consciously become learners instead of just students and also realize the significance and value of general education requirements. Last week, Louis Menand, Ph.D. gave a lecture regarding the philosophy and evolution of the American university. Menand, a Harvard professor and Pulitzer Prize winning author, discussed in detail the origins of the modern American university, the significance of literature and humanities courses, the selection method universities employ for students, and a plethora of finer details which engaged his audience for nearly two hours. All of these relatively narrow topics... ...
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Out of a crowd of nearly 400 people, 40 raised their hands when Martin Hambalek asked, “For the people that are here in the room, whose companies are hiring?” “Getting a job in Idaho is not the issue. The issue is that we don’t have enough students to fill the jobs,” said Hambalek, vice chair of the IT Software Alliance and Chair of the Events Committee for the Idaho Technology Council (ITC). Hambalek was an organizer of the event on Friday, April 19, when Boise State hosted the third annual develop.idaho conference in the Stueckle Sky Center. The purpose of the annual conference is to promote the technology community of Boise and grow student awareness regarding the availability of jobs in the Boise area. According to Hambalek, Boise State only has about 25 computer science graduates each year. “From what I’ve heard, nearly every junior computer science major has an internship, and by the end of their junior year they’ve been offered a job after they graduate,” Hambalek said. “By... ...
Read More →Computer science, marketing, and business majors will have the opportunity to mingle with prospective employers at develop.idaho 2013 on Wednesday, April 17 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the Stueckle Sky Center. The event will conclude with a Tech Cocktail mixer, also in the Stueckle Sky Center, starting at 6 p.m. This conference will feature prominent software professionals as guest speakers, including Mikkel Svane, the CEO of customer service and software company Zendesk. “Students get into the routine of going to class and turning in papers, but they can get in real world experience and meet perspective employers, colleagues, and possibly even business partners,” said Mark Mace, an intern with the Idaho Technology Council and a Boise State student. Now in its third year, develop.idaho is shifting its focus to the potential and growth of the computer science and software development sector in Idaho, one of the fastest growing fields in the state. The conference’s theme, “Find Your Platform,” highlights this shift, suggesting that students will learn about the different... ...
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According to University Health Services, the national implementation of the Affordable Care Act makes the State Board of Education mandate useless. Health Services believes the state mandate requiring all full-fee-paying students to have health insurance is a point of aggravation for both the health center staff and university students. “If everyone has to be insured, why do you have to have a state mandate?” asked Libby Greaney, the executive director of University Health and Recreation. “Why do you have to use up employee time processing all these waivers?” According to Greaney, nearly 80 percent of all of full-time students who are automatically enrolled in the Sudent Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) opt to waive that insurance in favor of a different plan. “We could be spending our time with the other 20 percent, helping them find a good insurance product,” Greaney said. With the total implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Jan. 2014, the state mandate will become more of a hindrance than a help to students. The mandate requires... ...
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Boise State students, faculty, and staff assembled at the capitol building Thursday, Jan. 24 to showcase student demographics, research projects, and advancements to the school that are made possible by support from the state legislature. The first floor of the Rotunda was laden with blue and orange for the day, including a Boise State emblazoned podium, a blue carpet rug and approximately seven eclectic booths encircling the room. These booths featured different departments and organizations of the university that are pertinent to both Boise State and the legislature. University representatives manned these booths, and student ambassadors also wandered about the legislature, mingling with different policy-makers for the day. “Everybody agrees that it was probably the best day at the capitol we’ve had in recent years,” said Associated Students of Boise State University President Ryan Gregg. Morning activities included a proclamation issued by Gov. C.L. Butch Otter that Jan. 24 was officially Boise State University Day. The pep band and cheerleaders attended the event as well as ASBSU council members, various... ...
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Late in June of last year the Supreme Court largely upheld President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with the exception of Medicaid expansion. Instead, the Supreme Court made the expansion of Medicaid optional for each individual state. During the State of the State Address on Monday, Jan. 7, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter declared Idaho would not expand Medicaid for now, against the unanimous recommendation from his 15 member Medicaid expansion working group. “There’s a lot more work to do, and we face no immediate federal deadline,” Gov. Otter said. However, the choice to expand Medicaid will largely rest with the legislature and while he did elect not to expand Medicaid as of this time, Gov. Otter did acknowledge a flawed system and suggested Idaho would alter its current Medicaid system in the future. “I hope to return in 2014 with specific proposals based on that work, and I encourage all Idahoans to get involved with this process,” Gov. Otter said. Medicaid, a health insurance program implemented in... ...
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The United States is playing a delicate balancing game. On the brink of a dangerous fiscal cliff that could remove billions of dollars from the economy and send unemployment soaring, the federal government must also monitor and enforce the universal healthcare program, the likes of which have never been implemented in the United States. “It’s got a challenge ahead of it,” said Richard Kinney, Ph.D., a political science professor. The opposition for the reform is derived from the controversial policies which are taking the place of the previous policies. As of November 2012, approximately 48 percent of Americans still opposed the healthcare bill while only 42 percent approved. “One of its biggest challenges will be dealing with this opposition,” Kinney said. Health care reform is a reformation rather than an entire reconstruction, so the basic health care structure is going to remain intact. However, a multitude of the policies within that structure are going to change drastically. Both political parties in the United States concede the chaotic and expensive healthcare... ...
Read More →On Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. four individuals who specialize in different areas of healthcare spoke in the Jordan Ballroom as part of a Healthcare Forum about the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare, and its impact on Idaho. “During the election there was a lot of rhetoric and disinformation, really, about healthcare. Our goal tonight is to shed light, not heat, on these important issues,” said Susan Ault, president elect of the Idaho Public Health Association who moderated for the event. The four speakers were allotted 15 minutes to briefly discuss one certain aspect of healthcare reform in Idaho. Landis Rossi, the executive director of Catholic Charities of Idaho, gave a rapid overview of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010. Because of the controversy surrounding the reformation of healthcare in the United States, the full law could not be implemented until the Supreme Court declared it constitutional in June of this year. “The... ...
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Boise State has been working with city fire department officials to secure an old campus building for live fire training and exercises, scheduled to occur Nov. 10 and 11. “Over last couple years we’ve had an ongoing relationship [with the Boise Fire Department]. They get benefit of training, and we get the benefit of a reduced cost of taking down a building. It’s simply a win-win,” said Breck Skinner, assistant risk manager of Boise’s States Office of Risk Management and Insurance. Lincoln Hall, located across the street from the Lincoln Parking Garage, has been slated for demolition for some time. Working in conjunction with the fire department, Boise State offered the building as grounds for live fire training earlier this school year. However, due to the poor air quality and a citywide burn ban enacted because of the summertime fires, the training was indefinitely postponed. “With the air being clear now, the smoke will rise and dissipate before it gets far, said Skinner. By allowing Boise Fire Department to burn Lincoln... ...
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The Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise reached capacity on Thursday night with people eager to participate in Ignite Boise, a two-hour symposium that featured 14 speakers, all of whom gave five-minute speeches accompanied by 20 slides on a projector screen. Every one of the 740 seats in the historic hall were filled, including the seats in the overhead balcony. “We’ve all agreed to come here to discuss big ideas,” said Josh Gross during his presentation. Gross presented “Why Your Ignite Speech Sucks,” during which he suggested that Ignite was a public forum to share ideas rather than a gateway to business promotion. In 2006, Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis initiated the original Ignite in Seattle. Since then, Ignite has spread to over 100 different international cities. Ron Baker and Jeff Reynolds founded Ignite Boise with the help of four other board members in 2008. These volunteers work for free, but they find sponsors to fund the event itself. Due to sponsors, admission to Ignite was completely free. Since 2008, Ignite... ...
Read More →A number of Boise State students and even some faculty have been invited to speak at the ninth annual Ignite Boise on this Thursday, Oct. 18. Among those selected is James Gravatt, a junior expecting to graduate in 2016. Gravatt is no rookie to this type of forum, but this will be the first year he has spoken at an event of this caliber. “It’s nice to know that people want to listen to me, even if they have nothing but a vague understanding of what I might be talking about,” Gravatt said. Of the 16 speakers, five were chosen by voters. Gravatt is one of those five. All interested parties filled out an online application earlier this year that was posted on Ignite Boise’s official website. It includes contact information and a short description of the topic each candidate wanted to discuss on Oct. 18. Each candidate has five minutes and 20 Powerpoint slides to present his or her topic. Gravatt will be using Harry Potter as a gateway... ...
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