Depleted Bears thrashed by Cougars

Caroline Lobel/File

The odds of a given sports game being disappointing is higher than ever before. With an unprecedented amount of players missing time during the COVID-19 pandemic, many teams simply don’t have the talent to put out an entertaining product.

Cal fans who missed the Bears’ 69-42 loss to Washington State might have been lucky. With key players Jayda Curry, Dalayah Daniels and Jazlen Green all sidelined, the Bears were never able to put together an extended run of competent offense. This conference opener was one to forget.

This game seemed to be over as soon as it began. Cal managed a measly 6 points in the first quarter on an atrocious 2-12 shooting performance from the field. They played only slightly better in the second quarter, scoring 8 points on 3-11 shooting. When 8 points is an improvement over the previous quarter, it’s been a rough game. The Bears also went 0-5 from three during that stretch.

This game served as a testament to the value of shot creators in basketball. Without three of its best offensive players, Cal was never able to get into a rhythm. Curry has been the best Bear at creating her own shot in the pick and roll or isolation. The missing Daniels had also recently excelled in the post and at reading the defense from the elbow. And Green had been excelling in her role as a heater off of the bench.

With this talented trio out of action, nobody was able to fill the collective void. Cailyn Crocker was the only Bear to score double digits, which she barely eclipsed with 11 points on 12 shots. Crocker and the other Bears simply aren’t typically used to being the top offensive options on the team. All across the sports world, athletes are being forced into unfamiliar roles to make up for missing teammates.

Head coach Charmin Smith did not use these missing players as an excuse. After the game, she remarked how “Everyone is missing someone. They didn’t have (senior forward Ula) Motuga who is a really key glue player. … We just didn’t perform the way we were capable of today.”

After digging themselves into an insurmountable 38-14 hole by the end of the first half, the Bears prevented the game from turning into a total embarrassment, only losing the second half by 3 points. Still, Smith didn’t see that as a reason to be proud. The Cougars eventually stopped playing their starters, and then stopped putting out most of their rotational players. Coach Smith joked that she didn’t even know the names of some WSU players who saw the floor in the second half.

Although this was a disappointing game for the Bears, it’s not a reason to be worried about their future. Their struggles were not indicative of the team as a whole, as it was missing so many important pieces that Smith says she hopes will be back for Friday’s game against Oregon State. One can only assume that Cal’s offensive prowess will return with them.

Even though it dropped its first game of conference play, Cal still has an elite record of 9-3 due to their dominance against non Pac-12 teams. On Friday, fans will hope to see a Bears team at full strength play in a game that is less disappointing than this loss to WSU.

Casey Grae covers women’s basketball. Contact him at cgrae@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

Six days after being named offensive MVP of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Gophers running back Ky Thomas entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.

“I want to thank my coaches, teammates and The University Of Minnesota. I have entered the transfer portal,” Thomas said on Twitter Monday.

After season-ending injuries to teammates Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts, Ky Thomas was thrust into a larger role at the running back position in 2021 with the Gophers.

Thomas, a Topeka, Kansas native took advantage of the opportunity. The former three-star recruit finished the season as the team’s leading rusher with 166 carries for 824 yards and six touchdowns.

Ibrahim and Potts are expected to return from injury next season, while second-leading rusher, freshman Mar’Kiese ‘Bucko’ Irving is also planning to remain with the program. Redshirt junior Bryce Williams and incoming three-star freshman Zach Evans will likely round out the team’s running back room in 2022.

In the fall semester, Javier Trujillo (24C) worked with two close friends, one in a pre-med fraternity and the other in a pre-business fraternity. Upon hearing his friends’ pre-professional opportunities, Trujillo felt that Emory University lacked many resources geared toward pre-law students. With dead-end emails to pre-law organizations and no sense of pre-law communities, he set out to change that through creating the law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. 

Phi Alpha Delta Co-Presidents Trujillo and Ben Arnoldsen Crawford (24C), along with Vice President Rebecca Schwartz (24C), began the chartering process for an Emory chapter of Phi Alpha Delta in fall 2021. The international law fraternity connects students and instructors in law with members of the bench and the bar in a fraternal fellowship designed to advance the ideals of liberty and equal justice under law, the organization’s website states.

“I started googling and found Phi Alpha Delta,” Trujillo said. “I emailed the national chapter and they gave me the checklist for me to apply for the charter. I didn’t know if this was possible because there is so much paperwork and things behind the scenes, so I reached out to Ben and Rebecca.”

Photo by Jason Oh/Staff

The group has worked with advisor Elizabeth Dunlap, a pre-law operations assistant at Phi Alpha Delta, to get a charter at the national level. Within Emory College, the group worked with faculty sponsor William R. Kenan Professor of Philosophy John Lysaker. 

Lysaker verified the potential charter’s compliance with requirements for the application, including a brief history of the University, paid membership application for at least 20 students, a letter of approval from the school’s administration and a faculty advisor. 

After completing the chartering application checklists, Trujillo, Crawford and Schwartz said they are ready to submit the charter application in spring 2022 and “create a great impact” on Emory’s pre-law community.

“There is a listing of pre-law associations, but the links were dead and none of the emails worked,” Crawford said. “It seems like there may have been some sort of network in history but at this point it seems kind of dead.”

Associate Director of Pre-Law Advising Carol Riddock, who assumed the position in August 2021, noted that Emory has numerous pre-law-affiliated societies, including Emory Mock Trial, Emory Pre Law Society, Latinx Pre Law Society and Emory Black Pre Law Society. Riddock also said that the Pre-Law Advising Office provides services like individual advising, educational programming and assistance with the law school application process. 

Even with these resources, some students expressed a lack of connection, community and resources while on the pre-law track. 

“We do have a pre-law newsletter and I have been receiving that,” Avery Rose (25C) said. “You could sign up for an appointment with the pre-law advisor, but otherwise, it has just been silence.”

The benefits of starting a pre-law fraternity at Emory includes financial support for LSAT preparations and workshops for resume building and interviews, Trujillo said. Additionally, pre-law students will have opportunities to network with experts in the legal field, connect with their future law school’s chapter of Phi Alpha Delta and visit law schools through their partnership with the chapter.

“These fraternities also exist in graduate schools which is a great way to network,” Trujillo said. “We want to tell our students like ‘Hey, these are the opportunities we can provide for you, as a school, as a national chapter and in all the different ways we can.’”  

Phi Alpha Delta has sent out an interest form and held interest meetings in the past months. Over 100 students expressed interest, and more than 30 students attended the interest meeting for running as officers. 

“It demonstrates that there is something that the University lacks that people want,” Trujillo said. “There are so many people who care about this field but couldn’t do anything. We wanted to provide that opportunity.”

The post Emory’s first pre-law fraternity to seek charter this spring appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

As Bay Area cities see minimum wage increases, some push for more

Numerous cities in the Bay Area saw their minimum wages increase as of Jan. 1, providing low-income workers with a boost to their earnings.

The statewide minimum wage increased to $15 per hour for large employers and $14 for small employers, according to a Department of Industrial Relations press release. Meanwhile, some local jurisdictions that opt for a higher minimum wage saw an annual inflationary increase take effect with the new year.

In Oakland, the minimum wage increased from $14.36 to $15.06; El Cerrito saw its minimum wage jump by $0.76 to $16.37; and Richmond’s minimum wage increased from $15.21 to $15.54, according to each city’s website. Berkeley’s minimum wage is currently $16.32 and is set to receive its annual inflation adjustment in July, according to the city of Berkeley website.

“Workers at all levels need to be paid wages they and their families can live on with dignity and stability,” said City Councilmember Sophie Hahn in an email. “We are a very wealthy region and a wealthy nation; the problem is that wealth is not fairly distributed among those who create it.”

Ken Jacobs, chair of the UC Berkeley Labor Center, said in an email that researchers have found that increasing the minimum wage improves the racial income gap, workers’ mental health and parents’ participation in the workforce.

In response to concerns that raising the minimum wage could have negative economic effects, Jacobs noted evidence shows minimum wage laws have not increased unemployment and may have a minor effect on prices.

“We have seen small price increases as a result of higher minimum wages in the restaurant industry, where many of the workers earn close to the minimum wage, and wages are a relatively high share of operating costs,” Jacobs said in the email.

Minimum wage laws, however, do not measurably increase prices across the entire economy, he added.

Jacobs noted differences in minimum wages across California ultimately come down to discrepancies in the cost of living and politics.

“Urban coastal metro areas have a higher cost of living than northern and inland regions of the state,” Jacobs said in the email. “They also tend to have more progressive political coalitions with the power to enact such laws.”

Before the state legislature passed legislation in 2016 to raise the minimum wage to $15 for all employers by 2023, local governments were the first to raise the minimum wage to $15, Jacobs noted.

Now, some are pushing for an even higher minimum wage.

In December, the Living Wage Act of 2022 ballot initiative was filed with the state attorney general’s office to raise California’s minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026. Jacobs said the initiative seems “reasonable” given last year’s increases to cost of living and wages.

Locally, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín expressed openness to increasing the city’s minimum wage above the level adopted in 2016.

“Despite our efforts workers are still not making enough to survive in our city,” Arreguín said in an email. “I always believed that the Minimum Wage we approved was a floor and not a ceiling, and I am committed to exploring adjustments to bring it closer to a living wage.”

Contact Gabe Classon at gclasson@dailycal.org, and follow him on Twitter at @gabeclasson.

The Daily Californian

Journalism is an inherently individualistic endeavor. Everything I write has my name attached to it. More than just my name, everything I choose to write about and how I write about it, reflects my subjective experience. My lived experiences inform and affect my perception of any issue I cover. That’s something I must contend with when thinking about how I can contribute to issues that affect women, Indigenous peoples or any other identity that I don’t have the lived experience to fully understand.

However, this isn’t just my problem. This is a problem all journalists must reckon with. Journalism is a disproportionately white field, with 77% of America’s newsrooms being white while only 65% of all U.S. workers are. As journalists, it’s imperative that we recognize how our lived experiences influence issue coverage, and whether or not we should even cover certain issues in the first place.

Embracing Biased Journalism

If we’re reporting on issues that don’t affect us, then how do we do it? One way might be by reaching out to the people affected by the issue. That’s great — augmenting your perspective with someone else’s helps you understand an issue better. But that doesn’t get you any closer to objectivity. First, no group is a monolith. Holding up any single voice as “representative” of that group is deeply problematic. There will never be consensus within any group about how best to solve the problems faced by said group. Assuming so only reinforces the tendency to stereotype people from a group we don’t identify with. Second, because no group is a monolith, and because there is a range of opinions, who we choose to interview will dictate what opinions we get. And the type of person chosen is highly dependent on the type of person that we are as journalists. There’s no way to provide a truly objective opinion from a person or group, and that’s okay.

Rather than hide from subjectivity, we should embrace it. Journalism is all about providing a perspective. Even “objective” news stories require reporters to omit, add and organize information. The choices they make in that process equally reflect the journalist’s subjective experience.  I can only provide the perspective that I bring or the people that I choose to interview, to a given issue. But that, in and of itself, is valuable.

Should We Even Be Reporting on Issues That Don’t Affect Us?

Part of my hesitation to instantly accept that all journalists should cover all issues is the reality that we live in a world where journalists’ livelihood, wealth generation and power are intimately tied to journalism. Meaning that, to some extent, everything we choose to cover comes with the baggage of that issue being a commodity to journalists. Social issues, events and beliefs are, unfortunately, one of the raw materials of journalism. If we can successfully extract those materials, we benefit through career improvement, material wealth or social standing. When those issues that I, as a white journalist, am covering are issues that only affect say, Indigenous peoples, it’s hard to shake the feeling that I’m engaging in an exploitative practice.

One counterargument to that point is that I’m incorrectly thinking of journalism as a zero-sum game. It’s possible that my additional coverage bolsters the coverage of indigenous reporters and benefits them as well. However, I think that only applies when I genuinely have something to add. If I’m just spewing out an article about white solidarity, that performative action only benefits me. Publishing something purely to signal your virtues creates exploitative and uninteresting journalism.

A stronger counterargument is that the burden of reporting on issues that affect non-white people should not fall exclusively to non-white people. I agree. Additionally, non-white journalists shouldn’t be reduced to primarily covering issues that affect them if they don’t want to. One of the privileges I enjoy as a white journalist is the freedom to muse about mycology, Daylight Saving Time or noise pollution. Another is the heightened visibility I’m granted by parts of society. I can and should be responsible for reiterating to white people why they should care about racism or environmental justice, that burden should not fall on the shoulders of people who experience those injustices. Not only should I write those op-eds, I have a duty to.

As a news reporter or an opinion journalist, it’s important to highlight events or angles that have not been highlighted, even if they don’t affect us. And, to be clear, they do affect us, just maybe not directly. The problem of improving the coverage on minority issues has been misconstrued as one that can be solved by simply hiring more minority reporters. But injustices should not only be covered by the groups who experience them, but by anyone who sees injustices as a threat to building a just society. Failing to do so perpetuates a system that sweeps non-white issues under the rug, and we all suffer for it.

Still, there is no one size fits all solution to how and when to cover issues that don’t directly affect us. There’s no algorithm. No procedure. We must embrace our biases, question our intentions and recognize whether we have something meaningful to contribute. But most importantly, we must do it. We won’t always get it right, but the sheer act of trying, of making ourselves vulnerable to failure in the hopes that we can make the world a better place, is what journalism should be about. And while this is a piece for all journalists grappling with this issue, journalism is an inherently individualistic endeavor. I am by no means immune to some of the criticisms I make of journalists. Quite the contrary.

w.shadley@dailyutahchronicle.com

@shadleywill

The post Shadley: How and When To Write About Issues That Don’t Affect You appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

Berkeley resident faces federal handgun possession charges

Brian Bi/File

During Memorial Day weekend 2021, an occupant of a BMW SUV allegedly fired nine shots toward San Pablo Park. City resident Reginald Patillo has since been charged in federal court with possession of three handguns allegedly linked to the shooting investigation.

Berkeley resident Reginald Patillo was charged in federal court Dec. 10 with possession of three handguns allegedly linked to a Memorial Day shooting investigation.

During the 2021 Memorial Day weekend, an occupant of a BMW SUV allegedly pulled up near the San Pablo Park tennis courts and fired nine shots toward the crowded park and tennis courts, according to an Alameda County declaration and determination form filed by the Berkeley Police Department. An occupied parked vehicle was struck five times.

The BMW then fled the scene, as described by eyewitnesses, the form states.

Video surveillance captured numerous park visitors fleeing in response to the shooting, the form adds. Surveillance also captured the license plate of the BMW, allegedly registered to Patillo, and captured a driver with a distinct facial tattoo.

Cell phone data allegedly placed Patillo at the scene of the crime when the shooting occurred and later moved in the same direction the BMW fled.

On July 9, BPD officers arrived at Patillo’s residence, according to a city of Berkeley press release. Officers formed a perimeter, with trained negotiators communicating with him via phone.

Upon surrendering and exiting his house, Patillo was arrested on suspicion of various charges related to assault and possession of a firearm, according to both the city press release and BPD spokesperson Byron White.

BPD officers proceeded to search the house for further evidence, the press release adds.

“Detectives recovered three loaded semi-automatic handguns (one of which was reported stolen), two high capacity magazines (to include a 50 round drum magazine) and 54 rounds of ammunition which he hid in a sump pump hole full of water prior to exiting the house,” the determination and declaration form BPD filed states.

Patillo has numerous prior arrests on various charges, including robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, narcotics sales and illegal firearm possession, the form adds. He has served time in state prison and has been convicted of assault and burglary and robbery.

Alameda County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Angela Ruggiero said Patillo made bail in August with a bond of $320,000.

On Dec. 1, Patillo was arrested once again in Vallejo on a federal warrant, and police claimed to have found a loaded pistol in the BMW SUV he was driving, according to a Mercury News article. On Dec. 10, a federal magistrate ordered Patillo detained while the case is pending.

Patillo was charged with “being a felon in possession of a firearm,” the article adds.

Ruggiero said Patillo is currently in custody at Santa Rita Jail on federal charges. His pretrial date has been set for Jan. 5, 2022.

As of press time, the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office could not be reached for comment.

Contact Tarunika Kapoor at tkapoor@dailycal.org, and follow her on Twitter at @tkapoor_dc

The Daily Californian

Graduate center Fabian White Jr. finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds in No. 12 Houston’s win over Temple Sunday evening in Philadelphia. | Victor Carroll/The Cougar

Shorthanded No. 12 Houston snuck past Temple 66-61 on the road in the first game since the teams leading scorer Marcus Sasser announced that he will miss the remainder of the season.

The Cougars came out hot, scoring on their first four baskets which included back-to-back threes from both freshman guard Ramon Walker Jr and graduate center Fabian White to jump out to an early 10-3 lead.

White was three for three from the field with seven points through the first five minutes of the game.

The Cougars had four offensive rebounds in the first eight minutes of the game, White had three of them and UH as a team were out-rebounding the Owls 11-4 by the halfway point in the first half.

Another 8-0 run for UH pushed the lead to 13 early before the Owls were able to end their three minute scoring slump.

Temple found their offense from there, the Owls cut the lead down to single digits off an 13-4 run of their own and made it a 24-20 game with 7:12 to play in the first half.

UH answered with yet another run of their own, scoring 12 straight points with no answer from the Owls and got the lead up to its largest of the half at 16 points after a put-back slam from sophomore J’Wan Roberts.

The strong closeout of the first half sent the Cougars into the locker room up 40-29.

Temple refused to go away easy and came out the halftime break with a sense of urgency as they opened the half with a 12-2 run in the first four minutes to make it a one point game at 42-41.

The run was led by Owl redshirt freshman Damian Nunn, he had seven of the 12 points in the first five minutes of the half.

Just as the trend had been all game, the Cougars went on yet another run of their own to take the lead back up to double digits after holding the Owls scoreless for another five and a half minutes, but the Owls came roaring back.

Temple had one last run in them, going on a 10-2 run to make it a two point game with 3:30 left in the game.

Walker knocked down a big three to make it a five point game again with roughly two minutes to play and the Cougars were able to close out the game and secure the win despite being shorthanded.

White finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.

Jamal Shead had 14 points with six assists and a pair of rebounds, as he played the entire 40 minutes.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“No. 12 Houston defeats Temple in a tight game on the road” was originally posted on The Cougar

The room is dark. The evening air is still. The audience member in the chair is deceptively quiet. Inside the audience member’s headphones, however, chaos ensues. A storm rages, the air crackling with electricity, thunder pounding against each ear drum.

“Macbeth: An Immersive Audio Experience, Designed For the Dark” works with sound to construct a sensory viewing of the play. Created by Knock at the Gate in collaboration with Theater Emory, the experience offers “a new high fidelity immersive audio experience.” A pair of headphones and a dark environment are all audience members require for the experience. The show ran Nov. 4-7 and 11-14.

Set in 11th century Scotland, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores the story of Macbeth, a soldier who hears a prophecy promising him the title of King of Scotland. Gripped by dangerous ambition, he is led to commit a series of murders, including that of King Duncan, leading to chaos and upheaval in the country. 

The play opens mid-storm, with the sounds of thrashing wind blowing into our ears. There is a crash, and then the Weird Sisters take the stage. Later, the second scene with the Weird Sisters is just as terrifying. The cauldron, crackling sounds, boiling water— all accompanied by a child crying in the background, make for an ominous environment. Here, the quick transitions between each sister are punctuated by sharp scraping sounds. Chanting together rhythmically, each voice feels distinct yet unanimous. The refrain “By the pricking of my thumb, something wicked this way comes,” is a shiver-inducing piece of foreshadowing. These scenes were perhaps the most chilling in the play as a result of the Weird Sisters’ icy, disconcerting hisses.

In an interview posted by Theater Emory, Edith Kwon (22C), who voiced the Weird Sisters, described the work as challenging “to push all of our acting into our voices rather than trying to convey anything through our bodies.” 

These voices prove to be the most crucial element in keeping the audience engaged. 

For example, in the scene leading up to Fleance’s murder, dialogue builds the tension. In this case, the exchange between Lady Macduff and her son Fleance is tender, which makes the killing feel more heartbreaking than I remember it being while first reading the play. 

The play does not diverge much from the original script, despite its radically different delivery. Unlike traditional productions, however, the murders are heard onstage. “Macbeth” is minimalistic in its approach, relying on dialogue and background sounds when appropriate. Most of the play speeds by in hushed tones, feverish monologues and quick staccato. 

Sound is the most exciting element of the play, often shifting between left, right and center for a three-dimensional experience. Audio transitions include footsteps, birdsong and sounds of nature. At times used to indicate the characters’ positions, the audio experience builds momentum and indicates climaxes. When two characters are conversing, each of their voices is heard from the opposite ear. When Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth after the infamous dagger scene, she whispers into the right ear while he replies into the left, resulting in a particularly intense exchange.

Often, we feel part spectator, part every character at once. When footsteps approach Duncan’s door, I’m at once Duncan, his killer and the wall separating murderer and victim—  that cannot scream a warning, cannot retreat, but instead can only stay fixed and helpless. Duncan’s breathing is juxtaposed with the pattering footsteps, the turning knob, the final spluttering and the shriek, all while the ominous instrumental churns in the background. 

In this play, we are witnesses to a conversation, often positioned right in the middle of it. Characters float by like ghosts and flickering shadows, a stream of disembodied voices. Although the reverb effect creates the impression of a stage or a large space, particularly powerful in the dagger scene, I found that using it in every scene diluted some of “Macbeth’s” realism.

The play was concise, keeping the audience engaged for 90 minutes while still touching upon each major scene. Brief instrumental audios sometimes preceded monologues or functioned as scene transitions. However, I wish there was more music in the play, to provide relief from the dialogue on which it so heavily relies. The famous Porter scene, a crucial provider of comic relief, could be more playful. I found myself expecting more of an escape from the tense buildup, but “Macbeth” seemed to sink too comfortably into the somber atmosphere.

Theater Emory and Knock at the Gate’s “Macbeth: An Immersive Audio Experience, Designed For the Dark,” finds a new way to tell a very old story. While the unconventional format allows sound to be employed creatively, it does not experiment with or stray too far from the play’s structure. The lack of visual cues leads listeners to create distinctly personal images to fill in the darkness, making for an intimate experience.

The post Theater Emory and Knock at Gate build a soundscape out of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

The University of Utah men’s basketball team (1-2, 8-5) returned from winter break for a two-game trip to the pacific northwest where they faced the Oregon State Beavers (1-2, 3-10) and the Oregon Ducks (0-2, 7-6).

This is the second set of conference games for the Utes after losing on the road to conference leading USC (2-0, 12-0) before beating the Cal Bears (1-1, 8-5) at home in early December.

Both the Beavers and Ducks were looking to overcome slow early-season starts as they sit 10th and 12th in the conference respectively. Utah comes into the weekend in 9th place in the Pac-12.

Oregon State Beavers 88 – Utah Utes 76

Oregon State capitalized on a sloppy Utah offense, turning 20 Ute turnovers into 23-8 points off turnover advantage. Combine that with better than 60 percent shooting in the first half, and it was too tall of a task for a streaky Utah offense to overcome.

Hot shooting kept the Utes close early in this ballgame, as they knocked down five of their first six attempts from three-point range. 

While the offense was humming, head coach Craig Smith’s defense struggled to get enough stops, allowing Oregon State to shoot an astonishing 62.5 percent from the field and 66.67 percent from three-point land. 

Utah never led again after taking an 8-7 lead on a Marco Anthony three with 17:04 left in the first half. 

After trailing by nine at halftime, the Utes used a 13-5 run to cut the OSU lead to one, 52-21 but would never get closer. 

David Jenkins Jr. led the Utes with 21 points while Anthony was the only other Ute in double-figures with 10. Anthony also contributed six rebounds and five assists. 

Oregon Ducks 79 – Utah Utes 66

Will Richardson goes off in the second half as Oregon outscored Utah 50-31 in the second half on their way to a 79-66 win.

Utah held a six point advantage at halftime after limiting the Ducks to just 36 percent shooting. It was no offensive firework show for the Utes either as they were held to 31% shooting.

Utah made their hay by scoring eight points on six Oregon turnovers and scoring nine second chance points while collecting eight offensive rebounds.

Jenkins Jr., the Utes second leading scorer this season averaging 12.7 points per game, went scoreless after battling foul trouble all night long. Jenkins Jr. fouled out with 7:07 remaining in the game after being whistled for an offensive foul. 

In the second half, Will Richardson found the range, scoring 23 points while shooting a perfect 8-8 from the field with four three-pointers. He led all scorers with 26 points. Jacob Young finished with 22 points.

Branden Carlson paced the Utes with 15 points while Marco Anthony finished with 14 and Lazar Stefanovic had 10 points.

Next Up

Utah returns home to the Jon M. Huntsman Center as they host the Washington Huskies (0-0, 5-5) on Thursday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MST. The Utes then turn around to face the Washington State Cougars (1-1, 8-5) on Saturday, Jan. 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. MST. Both games will be streamed on the Pac-12 Networks and broadcast on ESPN 700.

Follow the Runnin’ Utes men’s basketball program online at www.UtahUtes.com and on social media by following @UtahMBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

b.preece@dailyutahchronicle.com

@bpreece24

The post Utah Men’s Basketball Drops Two on the Road in Oregon appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.

On Nov. 1, 2019, the University of Utah signed a partnership with Cyrq Energy and Rocky Mountain Power in a deal ensuring — for the first time ever — the U will receive over half its electricity from clean renewable sources. This project also involved the use of a new rate tariff, which will allow “large customers to be able to choose and negotiate the costs of off-site renewable energy to be delivered through the grid.”

The U’s geothermal power purchase and sustainability efforts were featured in this year’s Sustainable Campus Index by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Each of the leading universities and institutions included were assessed using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, a framework allowing universities to “measure, report and strengthen their contributions to global sustainability.”

Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency also ranked the U No. 10 for green power use among universities in 2021. After the new solar power purchase agreement is online and rolling next summer, the University is on track to jump up to sixth on that same list.

“It’s very important to note that our electricity, what’s known as Scope 2 for greenhouse gas emissions, was actually the largest part of the University’s carbon footprint,” said Christopher Benson, the associate director of sustainability and energy within the U’s facilities management department. “Even if we had the most perfect buildings — which is where the majority of our energy is used — and even if we had the best technologies today, we still need energy. Finding a renewable source for the energy we require is an essential part of meeting the University’s commitment to carbon neutrality.”

In the past, sustainability initiatives at the U centered around existing technology and employing collaborations within the community to implement change on a larger scale. With the U’s more recent commitment to carbon neutrality, finding renewable sources to supply the energy required was at the forefront.

“Even something as simple as sharing resources and starting a conversation can make a big improvement,” said Lissa Larson, the senior project engineer within the sustainability and energy division at the U. “That’s just something I really love. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or find the next big technology. You just have to talk to other people and you can work together through logistics to push progress forward.”

This dramatic jump in renewable energy use resulted from years of work on rate tariff conversations and efforts which made the geothermal power purchase a reality. In conjunction with other improvement projects, the U is on track to adhere to the University’s Strategy 2025 for carbon, which aims to achieve 50% carbon neutrality by the year 2025.

“Before the geothermal contract in 2019, the renewables then supplied 4.6% of our electricity,” Larson said. “When you just think about graphically, how that jump looks to go from 4.6% and then to 53.7% with just one contract, it’s absolutely amazing. And that is where that rate tariff leadership comes in.” 

The work for their division and the U does not stop there. With the end commitment to carbon neutrality in mind, they are working cohesively to spread awareness and employ existing technology in order to make steps forward. Innovation was supported by the entire campus community.

“We still have decades of work, but we are already a national leader and things are moving in a really positive direction,” Benson said. “There’s amazing talent that we work with every day that’s pushing this forward … [Our senior leadership] is making sure we have the support and resources we need to make this happen.”

h.utendorfer@dailyutahchronicle.com

@haleyutendorfer

The post Geothermal Energy is Changing the Electricity Scene at the U appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.