Tuesday, October 27, 2015uiargonaut.com

Opinion, 9News, 1 Sports, 6 RecyclableVolume 117, Issue no. 20

Idaho soccer clinches Big Sky title, will host Big Sky tournament.

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University of Idaho

College students should stay educated about STIs.Read Our View.

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Jessica GeeArgonaut

The lines can be a bit blurred when it comes to which Halloween costumes are considered appropriate. Yet, every year, what some people wear has larger impli-cations than anticipated.

Leathia Botello, coordinator at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said cultur-al appropriation when it comes to Hallow-een costumesis a gray area that students may not know that much about.

“It’s basically one culture taking parts from another culture that they are not a part of,” Botello said of cultural appropriation.

She said it is important for the Univer-sity of Idaho to make campus is a safe and inclusive environment for all cultures.

Botello has worked at UI for 16 years and said there haven’t been many incidents with offensive costumes, but it is definitely more prevalent during Halloween.

She said she recalls some UI students wearing blackface a couple of years ago. These students were likely not trying to be malicious toward anyone, but the cos-tumes were still offensive, Botello said.

“The history of blackface during slave times was a way for white people to keep African Americans oppressed,” Botello said.

Yet, she said that the incident was a good learning experience for those students.

Botello said Native American and Latino costumes are some of the common themes she has seen of the years. She said most of the time students think a costume looks cool and are not intentionally trying to upset anyone.

alumni

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Savannah WilliamsArgonaut

Kenneth and Lois Siebe met in 1940 while still attending high school in Challis, Idaho. But when Kenneth turned 18, he was shipped out for war during World War II.

“We both put our education on hold,” said Lois, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service while Kenneth was overseas.

Kenneth returned home in 1946. The fol-lowing summer, he and Lois were married and began their education together at the University of Idaho. The couple has been married 69 years and counting.

Even though some time has passed, the couple made many fond memories while at UI.

There was the time UI football players stole Butch the cougar from Washington State University before the big football game.

The time they sat under the moonlight in

the Arboretum and were startled by campus security. The couple even has fond memo-ries of their loyal 1939 Hudson Coupe that went with them everywhere they did.

Kenneth was able to attend college on the GI Bill, and said the university his brother attended before the war was much different. He said UI was a smaller school and it cost only his brother $650 to attend.

“The University of Idaho at the time my brother went was a very small nice little uni-versity about four to five hundred students,” Kenneth said. “After the war, of course, all of us were eligible for the GI Bill. So this little uni-versity went from about 500 students to about 4,000 in one year.”

Kenneth said the sudden growth of pop-ulation had a significant impact on the uni-versity and UI had to adapt as a result.

“They moved temporary barracks buildings in and everything for class-

rooms,” Kenneth said. “Housing was non-existent so they moved in hundreds of these 17-foot trailers.”

The couple moved into one of those trailers after they got married and were at-tending school.

Kenneth and Lois said they have many memories while living in the trailer, such as the Moscow winter of 1948 — one of

the harshest winters of the time — and how the daily cost of food was just $1.37.

They earned their money from working year round and focused on their studies while slowly spending their earnings.

Lois was an art major, and she remembered all

her fun times in the art department, while Kenneth majored in business administra-tion and accounting.

Kenneth said he was fortunate to attend UI in the first place.

a Vandal love tale

Alumni look back on their college years at UI

Katie ColsonArgonaut

University of Idaho President Chuck Staben and his wife Mary Beth Staben are throwing a party — costumes are encouraged.

The Stabens will host the 2nd annual President’s Halloween Open House from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the President’s Resi-dence near the UI Golf Course.

The event is open to students, commu-nity members, faculty and staff.

When the Stabens first came to UI, Mary Beth said they were surprised to hear there was no Halloween event put on by the school.

“What do we do for Halloween? How can we not do something for Halloween?” Mary Beth said of her reaction to finding out there was no Halloween event.

Mary Beth said Halloween has always been a big tradition in their family.

When their kids were little, Mary Beth said she would dress them up every year in costumes she had made. Mary Beth said they raised their kids in Lexington, Kentucky, and she said it was a great place for Halloween.

She said they lived in a neighbor-hood full of families, the weather was always nice and Halloween was always a big deal.

Chuck said it would sometimes look a bit like the end scene of “ET,” there were so many kids out and about.

Chuck said they also lived in San Fran-cisco for 10 years and Halloween was always a big deal.

Last year, Kevin Ketchie, assistant to the President and Presidential Events, agreed to organize a UI event. They decided to hold the event at the President’s Residence, and make it an open house where people can mingle — in costume — and talk over refreshments, Chuck said.

SEE couple, PAGE 5

Ryan TarinelliArgonaut

The Vandal Football team has indefi-nitely suspended wide receiver Dezmon Epps for allegedly slapping his girl-friend over the weekend, according to a statement from the University of Idaho Athletic Department.

“I have zero tolerance for any inap-propriate behavior toward women,” said Vandal football coach Paul Petrino in the statement. “This is a serious allegation and I take it as such. The penalties are immedi-ate and substantive.”

Epps status on the team may be re-considered after the conclusion of an on-going investigation into the allegations. The investigation will be run through the Dean of Students office.

Earlier this school year, Epps was identified as being involved in an alleged Aug. 16 shoplifting incident at the Van-dalStore. The VandalStore decided not to press charges on Epps.

After the incident, the football team took immediate disciplinary action in addition to “strict daily behavioral re-quirements,” for Epps, according to an earlier statement from Petrino.

The allegation is another off-the-field incident for Epps.

In April 2014, Epps was arrested in Pullman on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Months later, Epps was charged for petty theft after allegedly shoplifting items from WinCo in Moscow and was subse-quently dismissed from the football team.

Earlier this year, Epps was charged with two misdemeanors for driving without privileges and for driving without a required ignition interlock device.

Epps caught nine passes for 98 yards in Idaho’s 27-13 homecoming win against Louisiana-Monroe Saturday. Epps leads the Sun Belt Conference in receptions per game with 10.2 and leads the conference in receiving yards per game with 126.2. Epps also returns punts and has played some defensive back in recent games.

Epps joined the UI football team in 2013 as a community college transfer and was the team’s leading receiver that season.

Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at arg-news@uidaho.edu

or on Twitter @ryantarinelliGarrett Cabeza contributed to this report.

football

Epps outEpps indefinitely suspended for allegedly slapping girlfriend over weekend

Epps

LoisKenneth

Scares with Stabenhalloween

Stabens host 2nd annual Halloween party Tuesday

Costumes of offense halloween

SEE scares, PAGE 5

Some costumes are worn at the expense of others

SEE costumes, PAGE 5

Dorothy Worden | courtesyKenneth and Lois Siebe sit on the “I” bench outside the Administration Building on thier graduation day in 1950.

THE ARGONAUTOctOber 27, 2015 page 5

“I had no idea what I wanted to take when I came because I just knew that I was so fortunate to have the GI Bill that I could go to college, otherwise I’d have no chance,” Kenneth said. “I expected to learn some-thing that I could make a living with.”

After graduating in 1950, the couple had a few tempo-rary jobs.

Kenneth was an ac-countant — a job he said he absolutely hated — and Lois gave art lessons before becoming a secre-tary and working for the county in Boise. Kenneth later got a differ-ent job bidding for building sup-plies that he enjoyed much more.

Kenneth said one thing he’s learned is that students should enjoy each day to the fullest.

“It took me a whole life-time to do that,” Kenneth said. “Take something you like, take something you

have to, and enjoy what you do.”

Lois said college is a wonderful time in life and students expand their hori-

zons while they are here.

“Learn all you can, try different things and don’t neglect the library,” Lois

said. “This is a wonderful moment in your life.”

Lois said their college years here at UI were mem-orable, mostly because they had each other.

Savannah Williams can be reached at

arg-news@uidaho.edu

cOUplEFROM PAGE 1

Ketchie is in charge of decorating the President’s house. Chuck said he did a fan-tastic job last year with decorations inside and outside the house, as well as scary music and smoke throughout.

Chuck said they originally had the event the weekend of Halloween, but they found is conflicted with band and ath-letic events, so they moved it up so more people could attend.

Despite the conflict, Chuck said the event still had what he thought were several hundred visitors. He said he hopes more students will attend the event this year.

Visitors are encouraged to come in

costume and Chuck said he has seen a great variety of costumes and a few conceptual costumes that he thought were inventive.

Last year, Chuck said he and Mary Beth went as a witch and warlock. Their costume for this year is a surprise and

Chuck said students will have to come to the event to see how they dress up.

At the event, Chuck said they will serve cider, snacks and hot cocoa. He said there will also be a drawing for prizes. Attendees

have a chance to win one of three $100 gift cards to the VandalStore.

Katie Colson can be reached at

arg-news.uidaho.edu or on Twitter at @katiecolson007

scAREsFROM PAGE 1

Yet, she said wearing things, such as a traditional Native American headdress, can cause someone with that cultural background to feel belittled.

“There was a time in American history when Native Americans were put on res-ervations where they were forced to be more like the dominant culture and couldn’t wear their tradi-tional clothing,” Botello said. “This is taking away something from them that they fought and, a lot of times, died for.”

UI Senior Mimi Price, who serves as president of the Feminist Led Activist Movement to Empower (FLAME) organization, said she has spent the last couple months working to bring the national campaign We’re a Culture Not a Costume to the university.

We’re a Culture Not a Costume is a poster campaign that aims to raise aware-ness about costumes that are disrespectful to other cultures, Price said.

Price said she began working on this project because accurate representation of other cultures is an important issue for FLAME.

“For the past few years, we have seen some questionable costumes on campus,” Price said.

Often students will host Halloween

parties with themes such as cowboys and Indians, Price said. She said the theme often results in many students dressing in Native American clothing and engaging in drinking or other activities, which can degrade and misrepresent their culture.

“There are so many other costume options that aren’t a part of a living per-son’s culture,” Price said.

If a student sees one of their friends wearing a Halloween costume that ap-

propriates or offends a certain culture, Price said students should not be afraid to let them know it is not OK.

“Just make it into a teaching moment and not something where you are attacking them,”

Price said. Yet, Price said if you don’t know the

person wearing the costume, the best option is to not confront them and avoid escalating the situation. She said students should continue to spread the message of avoiding offensive Halloween costumes.

Botello said most people are unaware of the repercussions of their costume. She said students should remain mindful of their Halloween costumes and avoid outfits that could misrepresent a culture.

“Wearing costumes like this just per-petuates stereotypes,” Botello said.

Jessica Gee can be reached at

arg-news@uidaho.edu or on Twitter @jaycgeek

cOsTUmEsFROM PAGE 1

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Nishant mohanArgonaut

Whether talking about medical amnesty or college affordability, ASUI legislative ambassadors will aim to create a closer connection between the Univer-sity of Idaho and Idaho state lawmakers as they head to Boise this spring.

ASUI Director of Policy Nick Wren, who is in charge of ASUI’s Legislative Am-bassador program, said the program sends a group of students, usually from ASUI, to Boise every January soon after the begin-ning of the legislative session. During the two-day trip, stu-dents meet with legislators to lobby for ASUI’s interests.

“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from legislators who really liked meeting with students from their own districts,” Wren said.

Wren is looking for 35 outgoing ap-plicants who are preferably Idaho natives because of the state-focused nature of the program and the new pairing system. Ap-plications are due Nov. 7.

Wren said this year the group will focus on pairing ambassadors with leg-islators from their home districts. Addi-tionally, he said the trip will likely last an extra day to give students and lawmakers more time to communicate.

Wren has gone in the past, and said he plans to go again this year. He said in past years the university president would address the Joint Finance and Appropria-tions Committee and deans of various col-leges would set up displays in the capitol.

Wren said this time the event will not have displays and that they will instead have a luncheon to encourage more one-on-one conversations with UI representa-tives and legislators.

“I’ve never really had an opportunity to connect like this,” said ASUI Senator McKenzie MacDonald, who plans to apply for the program.

She said she wants to be a legislative am-

bassador because of her passion for policy-making — especially on higher education.

In the program, ASUI suggests lob-bying points and then trains the ambas-sadors before giving them free reign at the capitol.

Wren said that these lobbying points have traditionally been almost identical with those of the university leadership, but they still make the trip to Boise to give a student perspective to legislators.

He said he thinks ASUI definitely made a difference last year lobbying alongside university administration for a Change in Employee Compensation increase.

With the introduction of ASUI’s reso-lution to lobby for a statewide medical amnesty bill, Wren said this will be the first year that their lobbying points have a dis-tinct difference from the univer-sity leadership.

Wren said another main lob-bying point will address the cost of higher education. For many people, college can be unaffordable — something ASUI and the university have worked on in the past and will continue to work on this spring, Wren said.

“We do want to see scholarship in-creases,” he said.

Wren said Idaho has one of the worst going-on rates in the U.S., and he wants to make sure ambassadors discuss that with legislators.

Wren said the extremely conservative nature of the state can create a difficult en-vironment for higher education.

“Every year we see bills to defund and privatize public universities,” he said. “Of course those get shot down in committee, but it shows what kind of atmosphere we are working in.”

Some lawmakers, Wren said, do not realize what the university does for their constituents through job creation and re-search money. He said meeting with leg-islative ambassadors from UI can act as a light-bulb moment.

Nishant Mohan can be reached at

arg-news@uidaho.edu or on Twitter @NishantRMohan

asui

One-on-one timeASUI to pair students with representatives from their home districts

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Learn all you can, try different things and don’t neglect the library. This is a

wonderful moment in your life

lois siebe, Vandal alumni

David Betts | ArgonautKenneth and Lois Siebe made a recent trip to the University of Idaho. They have been married for 69 years.

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