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1/8/2015 The Argonaut – Blurred lines are actually pretty solid – Weekend fun can easily turn into a life changing mess
http://www.uiargonaut.com/2014/03/03/blurred-lines-are-actually-pretty-solid-weekend-fun-can-easily-turn-into-a-life-changing-mess/ 1/5
Submitted by Justin Ackerman on 03.03.2014 – 10:33 pm
Home » Featured Sidebar, Opinion
Blurred lines are actually pretty solid – Weekend fun can easily turn into a life changingmess
Chances are, as a college student, drug and alcohol use has impacted your life in someway. Whether it was the night your belligerently drunk roommate stumbled into your dorm room and spewed half digested pizza from Bob’s intoyour sock drawer, or the morning you discovered your Instagram riddled with selfies taken somewhere between McDonalds and that big red chairyou and your friends discovered like an inebriated Lewis and Clark, #lookwhatwefound.
Justin Ackerman | Argonaut
We’ve all been there, and like it or not partying is a deeply ingrained part of the college social scene. However, that doesn’t mean we have to beokay with everything that happens for the sake of a good time.
In fact, we would probably be better off without a lot of it, and there are things a lot worse than ruined socks and embarrassment at the hands ofsocial media.
There are certain lines nobody should cross, and contrary to what Robin Thicke might say, they are pretty well established. In practice though,
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1/8/2015 The Argonaut – Blurred lines are actually pretty solid – Weekend fun can easily turn into a life changing mess
http://www.uiargonaut.com/2014/03/03/blurred-lines-are-actually-pretty-solid-weekend-fun-can-easily-turn-into-a-life-changing-mess/ 2/5
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people don’t quite appreciate the fine line between drunken sex and sexual assault.
Title 18, chapter 61 of the Idaho Statutes gives the legal definition for rape within the state of Idaho. Part of this definition covers the more sinisterand stereotypical faces of rape, but other parts cover acts some people may not even see as a problem.
Unless both parties are able to give consent with a sound mind, pursuing sexual relations with that person is nefarious at worst and questionable atbest. That girl who had a few too many whiskey sours nodding off in the corner, she can’t give consent. Neither can that guy who has been passedout on the couch since 9.
So when your buddy tries to take one of them home, he’s not just getting laid and having a good time. He’s walking on a very slippery slope,morally, ethically and legally.
Nobody wants to tell their friend what they are doing is wrong, but it has to happen.
According to the Department of Justice, roughly 17.7 million women and 2.8 million men have fallen victim to sexual assault since 2003. College-aged people make up 37.5 percent of those assaults, according to the Center for Disease Control, and alcohol contributes to nearly 19 percent ofthem.
These numbers are alarmingly high, and most people do not take them as seriously as they should.
One person’s night of stupid, drunken fun can easily become an incredibly emotionally damaging and life-changing event for someone else.
Luckily, college students everywhere are in a position to change this. Next time you see someone trying to game up the girl who blacked out, stopthem. You would be doing everybody involved a huge favor.
Justin Ackerman can be reached at [email protected]
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Tags: college life, college students, Department of Justice
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1/9/2015 The Argonaut – State funding failure — Prominent Idaho candidates do not share enthusiasm when it comes to education
http://www.uiargonaut.com/2014/05/08/state-funding-failure-prominent-idaho-candidates-do-not-share-enthusiasm-when-it-comes-to-education/ 1/5
Submitted by Justin Ackerman on 05.08.2014 – 10:27 pm
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State funding failure — Prominent Idaho candidates do not share enthusiasm when itcomes to education
I’ve attended Idaho schools my entire life. The people of Idaho have funded myeducation from elementary school through high school, and continue to do so today as I attend the University of Idaho.
Although higher education institutions continue to have funding difficulties, the lack of resources hits much harder at the lower echelons of theIdahoeducation system.
As a student in Grangeville, Idaho, I watched as students were forced to use — and sometimes share —20-year-old textbooks with no hope ofgetting new ones. In the few classes that provided lab opportunities, materials were heavily rationed and the equipment was even older than thetextbooks. Which was cool, because I had the rare opportunity to use the exact same Erlenmeyer flasks, graduated cylinders and Bunsen burnersmy grandfather used in the 1960s.
This sad situation was always the elephant in the room, and a fact frequently bemoanedby everybody.
Community members, faculty, parents and even some students frequently spoke out against Idaho’s less thanstellar funding.
Funding which, according to the Idaho Center of Fiscal Policy, has decreased significantly in the last 30 years, and has forced the community toturn to supplemental levies for funding.
For example, the Idaho CFP reported in 1980 that 32.5 percent of state spending went to public schools, but that number has decreasedsignificantly since.
In 2013, it sat at 26.4 percent. Coincidentally, in 2000 just over 40 school districts in Idaho required supplemental levies, which creates a faceoffbetween local property tax increases and education funding. In 2012, the number of districts reliant on supplemental levies was over 80.
I watched people in Grangeville take significant tax increases to keep multiple teachers employed and extracurricular activities intact. The samesituation plays out in communities all over the state.
Yet along with these alarming trends, I’ve seen something else which is justas disheartening.
The same people who made sacrifices for higher quality education continually undo any progress made in the ballot box election after election. A
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1/9/2015 The Argonaut – State funding failure — Prominent Idaho candidates do not share enthusiasm when it comes to education
http://www.uiargonaut.com/2014/05/08/state-funding-failure-prominent-idaho-candidates-do-not-share-enthusiasm-when-it-comes-to-education/ 2/5
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new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows a 36.8 percent cut to higher education funding in the state since 2008.
This issue should be an incredibly personal one for every student in Idaho.
Idaho education has slowly eroded over the last decade, while Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter fruitlessly tried to stop the nosedive. Right by hisside has been the Idaho Legislature, which includes one of his primary opponents Russ Fulcher. This bunch has followed Otter’s every step on theincredibly elusive path to education reform.
Education is an essential issue in Idaho, and one which brings out passionate people. Idaho’s elected officials have been failing the state’s studentsand their constituents for far too long. It’s something that effects people of all ages from all corners of the state and it’s time state officials tookmeaningful steps to alleviate the problem.
Justin Ackerman
can be reached at
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1/8/2015 The Argonaut – Contributions consistently lead Otter to candidacy – Otter’s leadership has hurt Idaho, yet he consistently wins
http://www.uiargonaut.com/2014/02/24/contributions-consistently-lead-otter-to-candidacy-otters-leadership-has-hurt-idaho-yet-he-consistently-wins/ 1/5
Submitted by Justin Ackerman on 02.24.2014 – 9:47 pm
Home » Featured Sidebar, Opinion
Contributions consistently lead Otter to candidacy – Otter’s leadership has hurt Idaho, yethe consistently wins
If Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter can survive the upcoming primary election, he will beon the cusp of joining a very exclusive club. If Otter wins re-election in November, he will be one of three men to serve three terms as Idahogovernor.
Justin Ackerman | Argonaut
Charles Ross and Robert E. Smylie are the other two men who have not just served three terms, but have left a lasting impact on the state. Rossserved in the 1930s and was a supporter of FDR’s New Deal programs, he helped bring liquor sales under state control and helped push Idaho’sfirst ever sales tax.
Smylie created the state park system and helped re-establish the Ross’ era sales tax, which was repealed through referendum in 1936.
Otter’s name will forever stand beside these two, if he clinches his third term. This opportunity to solidify his legacy shouldn’t come as a surprise,just look what Otter has done for Idaho’s economy and education.
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1/8/2015 The Argonaut – Contributions consistently lead Otter to candidacy – Otter’s leadership has hurt Idaho, yet he consistently wins
http://www.uiargonaut.com/2014/02/24/contributions-consistently-lead-otter-to-candidacy-otters-leadership-has-hurt-idaho-yet-he-consistently-wins/ 2/5
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According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, when Otter took office in 2007, the average Idahoan’s per capita income sat at $32,607, whichleaves Idaho ranked 43rd out of the 50 states. In 2012, that number rose slightly to $33,749, but Idaho dropped to 49th in the nation — beatingonly Mississippi.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks number of minimum wage jobs in each state, and 7.7 percent of Idaho’s workforce works forminimum wage. This percentage gives Idaho the highest number of minimum wage workers the Bureau has ever seen.
Unfortunately, education in Idaho hasn’t faired much better under Otter. I’ve commented on education in Idaho before, but it’s a somber sentimentalways worth restating.
When Otter took office in 2007, Idaho sat in 50th place in spending per student — according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Today, Idaho sits at 49thout of 50 states, and while Otter talks big on education reform, nothing meaningful has happened in the last seven years. Actually, tuition at theUniversity of Idaho has gone up nearly $1,000 under Otter. It has risen from $2,100 per semester in 2007, to $3,200 today.
All of this has drastically changed the state of Idaho. Yet, if these numbers are any indication, that change has not been a positive one. It’sdefinitely not worthy of propelling Otter to a third term as governor, but it might happen regardless if past elections are any indication.
Otter consistently outspends his opponents, but his money has increasingly come from out of state. According to campaign finance records in2010, Otter raised almost $2 million, with just under $500,000 coming from out of state. The out of state funding alone is just about half of hisopponents spent. Otter will consistently be able to outspend his opponents, but it appears raking in contributions from wealthy donors is one of theonly things he is good at. Combine that with Idaho’s political landscape and you have a recipe for bad policies and unaccountable politicians.
Otter isn’t all bad, he voted against the Patriot Act and he’s been a part of Idaho politics for a long time.
However, it’s time Idaho gives someone new a shot at fixing the problems the state has faced for so long.
Justin Ackerman can be reached at [email protected]
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Tags: Idaho Gov, Patriot Act, U.S. Census Bureau
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