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Show Signpost C-" -L. WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY VOL 85 • ISSUE 14 I WILLY WONKA OPEN MONDAY I HOUSES WELCOME September8,2014 | NONTRAD STUDENTS page 7 WWW.WSUSIGNPOST.COM Bisons trample Wildcats 24-7 at first home game By MICHAEL GRENNELL sports editor | @MichaelGrennell The Weber State football team became the latest victim of North Dakota State's record winning streak, as they dropped their home opener 24-7 against the Bisons. "That was a good football team that we beat," North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman said. "They did a great job at the line of scrimmage and gave us some fits with running the football and blitzing. They have a good front four and linebackers. I was really impressed with their football team." In front of a crowd of 14,577, the highest attendance for a football game since 2005, the Wildcats were able to put together big plays, but were unable to capitalize on all of their chances. On the very first play of the game, sophomore quarterback Billy Green threw a 49-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Cameron Livingston, who was able to make the catch despite facing double coverage from the North Dakota State defense. Despite the big start, the Wildcats were unable to score on the drive, as sophomore running back Zach Smith was stopped for no gain on third down and fourth down, forcing Weber State to turnover the ball on downs. Later in the first quarter, the Wildcats scored their only points of the game, as freshman running back Eric Wilkes came in to replace an injured Smith and broke through the Bisons' defense to score on a 27- yard run to tie the game 7-7. The touchdown was the first of Wilkes' career and also his longest career run. Coming out of half- time, the Wildcats missed an early opportunity to score, as a 48-yard field goal attempt by sophomore kicker Carson Fackrell was blocked by North Dakota State. Now trailing 21-7 to start the fourth quarter, Weber State opened the quarter on the North Dakota State five-yard line, moving up to the two-yard line after a defensive pass interference call was made against the Bisons. Wilkes was stopped on three straight rushes, and a fake field goal attempt nearly got Weber State See FOOTBALL page 3 PHOTO BY KAITLYN JOHNSON | THE SIGNPOST Running back Eric Wilkes gets pulled down by North Dakota State, leading to Weber State getting a touchdown. The touchdown was the first of Wilkes' career. Smile at every person you walk past. See how it changes things for you. Comment or post a photo with the hashtag #WSUChallenge, and we'll publish the best in next Monday's paper. (3)WS usignp' First Tech uses robots to create engineers PHOTO BY KAITLYN JOHNSON | THE SIGNPOST Students listen at a First Tech informational meeting. The First Tech Challenge kicked off Saturday. By TYLER WILSON s&t reporter It's not everyday that someone gets to build a robot, but for the kids involved with the First Tech Challenge (FTC) program, it is going to be a huge part of their lives for the next six months. The FTC is an international competition for building robots, and Weber State University is at the forefront of the Utah teams. Only students in grades seven to 12 are allowed to participate. For some of the participants, it is their first year, but others are coming back for their second experience. Kevin Bongiovanni has been working with the FTC program and thinks it is great to get students involved with engineering and problem-solving at a very early age. "Life is more than the XBox. It's great to excite the minds of these kids so they can make robots rather than play video games," Bongiovanni said. Bongiovanni told the participants about the great opportunities arising in engineering. "We talk about how in our country unemployment is high. However, on the engineering level, we do not have enough engineers," he said. Bongiovanni thinks that this will help the students discover what they want to be when they grow up. The students learn about principles in math and engineering in real-life situations, starting out at a young age and building the foundation for their high school and college education. "For Weber State, this is a perfect opportunity to show what we have to offer in their curriculum," Bongiovanni said. During the course of this robotic journey, the kids involved in this competition will learn much more about problem-solving and finding new solutions. Dana Dellinger, the FTC affiliate partner in Utah explained how much development can happen within this competition. "(Students) learn that they are capable of accomplishing challenging things, and they learn how to problem-solve even when they fail over and over again," said Del- linger, speaking about the outcomes that will take place during this competition. Dellinger is also grateful for the support that Weber State University has been providing as they start their third year of being involved with this event. See ROBOTS page 3 'Dark Side of Chocolate' Amnesty International club raises awareness of child labor behind the chocolate students love By RACHEL BADALI features reporter | @rachel_badali The Weber State University Amnesty International club held a film screening and short lecture on Thursday called the "Dark Side of Chocolate," which discusses labor exploitation in cocoa plantations throughout Africa. While snacking on free-trade chocolate bars, students learned that child labor in the cocoa industry is rife, but many are unaware of the situation. Julie Ikeda, the president of Amnesty International at WSU, said the film was a good way to bring light to the unethical side of something so commonplace. "We thought this would be a good way to open some eyes and get some people involved," Ikeda said of the event. "Everyone loves chocolate, but oftentimes, people aren't (Left) Brahima Male, 14, works on a cocoa plantation in the Ivory Coast. Many boys like Brahima were tricked or purchased for slavery. FEATURES SOURCE: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/ MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE INFORMATION SERVICES aware of the types of human rights abuses and crimes that are going on around them." Around 3 million tons of chocolate are consumed each year and the Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer. To sustain this, 10,000 slave laborers are trafficked into West Africa annually. See CHOCOLATE page 3 HOCKEY BEATS PARK CITY IN EXHIBITION MATCHES page 5 IN THE SIGNPOST CALENDAR 2 OPINION 4 SPORTS 5 |