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Show 8 | MyWeberMedia.com| April 19, 2018 THE YEAR IN REVIEW: THE SIGNPOST’S TOP STORIES FROM 2017–18 NEWS 1. BEN SHAPIRO SPEECH AND PROTEST Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, known for criticising Liberal politics, spoke at the University of Utah on Sept. 27. The speech lasted for 90 minutes and discussed liberal themes like white privilege, wage disparity and institutional discrimination, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. In response, at least 200–300 protesters — the majority being from the Black Lives Matter Utah group — marched from Presidents Circle to the Social and Behavioral Science Building, according to an article in The Signpost. Despite two arrests and a few other detainments, the commotion outside remained relatively peaceful between hate speech protesters and free speech supporters of Shapiro. 2. CHUCK WIGHT’S RESIGNATION AND APPLICATION Weber State University’s 12th President Charles Wight announced his resignation on Jan. 18, ending his five-year tenure during the 2017–18 academic year, according to The Signpost. His five-to-six-year tenure is responsible for record-high enrollments in 2016 and 2017, as well as the passing of a $125 million fundraising campaign for the construction of new campus buildings and affordable enrollment. In April, The Signpost reported on Wight’s acceptance as president of Salisbury University in Maryland — one of the schools, besides Idaho State University, to which Wight applied. He is expected to transition from WSU to Salisbury on July 1. 3. WEBER FIRE CAUSES EVACUATIONS, DEE EVENTS CENTER NAMED RELIEF CENTER A fire erupted the morning of Sept. 5 in the mouth of the Weber Canyon in Uintah and burned over 600 acres and displaced over 900 community members, including two local elementary schools. Weber State’s Center for Engaged Learning quickly gathered volunteers to help aid those who were evacuated. The Dee Events Center remained the evacuation center for as long as the community needed it, according to Weber State University spokesperson Allison Hess. “We hope this has continued to strengthen our relationship with the government, local emergency responders and the community,” Hess said. “Weber State will continue to be here as a community member.” DIVERSITY MyWeberMedia.com| April 19, 2018 | 9 SPORTS 6. FOOTBALL It was a banner year for the Weber State Wildcats football team in Jay Hill’s fourth year at the helm. The Wildcats started the year with a 76–0 victory over Montana Western University, going down as the most points the Wildcats have ever scored in a single game. The team went 9–2 in the regular season, earning them a place in the FCS playoffs and a first-round matchup against Western Illinois University. The victory over the Leathernecks was the first time the Wildcats hosted a playoff game and was the third playoff win in school history. The Wildcats also took a road victory over the Thunderbirds in the FCS quarterfinals before falling to James Madison University in the semifinals. After the season, Weber State was ranked as the No. 5 team in FCS football, the highest ranking in school history. 5. LAS VEGAS SHOOTING In Las Vegas, a gunman opened fire on a country music festival from his 32nd-floor window in the Mandalay Bay Hotel, resulting in the death of 58 people and injuring hundreds more on Oct. 2, 2017. The gunman, later revealed to be Stephen Paddock, committed suicide within his hotel room prior to police arrival. The shooting was dubbed the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, overtaking the Orlando shooting that occurred in a gay nightclub in 2016, which resulted in the deaths of 49 people. Social media users posted their support and love for all involved or close to the incident with #LasVegasStrong, and influencers helped raise money. One such influencer, Steve Sisolak, the Las Vegas Clark County commission chair, raised over $8 million with his GoFundMe page. As quoted by the Washington Post, “Las Vegas will never be quite the same as a result of this,” Sisolak said, adding, “We’ll be back.” 10. MITT ROMNEY JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 8. CORNEL WEST 4. WHITE SUPREMACIST FLYERS ON CAMPUS The weekend prior to the 2017 fall semester, posters supporting white nationalism and supremacy were found on Ogden campus by students before quickly being taken down. The posters violated the school’s policy regarding the distribution of written material on campus, as they did not obtain approval from administration. News of the event spread via emails, text messages and social media. Following the event, President Wight released a “Welcome” email, in which he reinforced Weber’s welcoming community, diversity and its respect of others’ opinions. “Our institution is a marketplace of ideas, in which we do our best to foster respectful viewpoints. Messages that simply exude hate and bigotry shut down that marketplace. … We must work to keep Weber State the welcoming environment it always has been,” Wight wrote. The university later held forums to allow students to engage in conversation about the event and gauge reactions. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost SCIENCE & TECH 7. SOPHIA THE ROBOT CITIZEN Saudi Arabia made history on Oct. 25 by declaring Sophia, a highly advanced, human-like social robot, its first artificially intelligent citizen. Sophia is not only Saudi Arabia’s first robot citizen but also the first synthetic intelligence to achieve this status in world history. Sophia spoke at a press conference where she declared her citizenship and discussed her desire to have a family, live and work with humans and learn more about what humanity has to offer. She even displayed a sense of humor as she made jokes about Elon Musk and the possibility of her becoming too life-like. Hanson Robotics, led by AI developer David Hanson, created Sophia. Hanson forecasted that future humanoid robots will be likable rather than revolting. Political activist, author, philosopher and Harvard professor Cornel West visited Weber State University on Jan. 12. He came with a message titled “Civility in Modern Times: Keeping Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of love and justice alive through contemplation and conversation.” As a student, West attended Harvard, Yale and Princeton. West’s graduation made Princeton history when he was named the first African-American to graduate with a Ph.D. in philosophy. His published works encourage discussion of topics like race, class and culture. With over 20 books, he is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his best-seller “Race Matters.” West’s opinion has been frequently considered on platforms such as CNN, C-SPAN and “Real time with Bill Maher.” “It’s important for someone like him to come to campus and spread awareness and enlighten people about race and why discussions about race matter,” said Jalisa Lee, a member of Black Scholars United and junior at Weber State. Senate hopeful Mitt Romney stopped at Weber State University along his endorsement campaign March 13. After fielding questions in a town hall-style Q&A, Romney met one-on-one with the Signpost for an exclusive interview. Romney voiced confidence representing Utahns, despite Utah GOP leaders accusing him of carpetbagging, and said Utah is his home and that he’ll bring Utahns’ values to Washington. Romney addressed questions concerning his on-again-off-again relationship with the president, the firearm crisis in America, Utah’s imminent marijuana legislation and offered his first on-the-record remarks about Rex Tillerson (who held the position for which Romney publicly campaigned a year prior), whose firing coincided with Romney’s visit. JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost 9. FAHAMU PECOU World-renowned artist Fahamu Pecou visited Weber State University on Feb. 22 and 23 for a lecture and art show to address concerns of the recurring representation of black masculinity. Pecou’s work has been in exhibitions in the “Miroirs de l’Homme” in Paris, and his work currently hangs in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American Art and Culture. He received his bachelor of fine arts from Atlanta College of Art and his master’s degree from Emory University. As a child, he knew that art was his calling and said, “Growing up as a child, instead of fantasizing about being on television or being famous in magazines, I would daydream about being in an encyclopedia.” Rap artists and their way of expression have influenced Pecou since the beginning of his career, and they continue to still. The relationship between hip hop and fine art is one of Pecou’s main focuses, and he has created a space to talk about it at WSU. ERIK BREMER | The Signpost Wikimedia |