Idaho State University Professor Charged with Stealing from Fellow Professor

Professor Judy Morris Being Escorted Out of Her Class

As a professor gets removed form her own classroom, DURING class time, students are left wondering if they've been taught be a criminal the entire semester long.

Idaho State University has been having some troubles lately, thanks to a few unsavory articles from the New York Times. Now, once again, their getting into the limelight in another less-than-ideal way. Professor Judith Morris has been apprehended in correlation with stealing pictures and distributing them to her students. The victim, Dr. Terry Ownby, was outraged that his colleague and friend did this to him.

"This was a real surprise, it's totally out of character for her," Ownby said.

Professor Terry Ownby Discovers his Work

Morris maintains her innocence, but her students are already starting to doubt her claims. Many agree that this is certainly uncharacteristic from their professor, but overall they do believe that she is lying when she said she didn't steal the photos. All this is just adding to the already worsening PR that ISU has gotten as of late, mostly concerning international students. However, this wouldn't be the first time a, ISU professor has been escorted out of class, as a year prior, one chemistry professor shot himself in the foot, with students in the room, while class was being taught. (The full CBS article can be found here.)

The students are eager to learn the truth behind their professor's alleged crimes, and are hopeful that all the videos and pictures they took with their phones of the incident could help ISU become a little more famous.

Don't forget to check out the full report on this incident:
Full Article

Or Watch the full story for yourself:
Raw Footage

Idaho State Softball Looks to Break "Curse"

First basemen Maddy Hickman running to her teammates after hitting a home run

The Idaho State Softball Team is on the final stretch of their regular season with only six games left to play. The next three are out of town in Portland, Oregon against Portland State University. The last three games are right here in Pocatello on Bartz Field against Northern Colorado.

The team is trying to break a three year curse in which they have won the regular season conference championship, which made them host the Big Sky Conference Tournament, but have yet to win the conference tournament championship on their home turf. However, with how things are currently looking in the standings, Idaho State is sitting in third place with a conference record of 8-5 (wins-losses).

 "It would take a miracle for us to win the conference championship right now," outfielder Molly Nutt said. "I don't think we'll be hosting the tournament this year."

With the conference tournament not being held at Idaho state this year, the pressure seems to be off  the shoulders of all the players on the team. They are out with a vengeance and plan on taking the 2016 Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship this year. 

Idaho State University event "CommUniversity" Sparks discussion of SuperPowers

    On February 10, Idaho State University featured an event, called CommUniversity inside of the Pond Student Union Building with free food, entertainment, art, and culture. While attending the event my classmates and I was able to interview a few people at the event.

    Adam Reed was one of the many people who attended the event and I was lucky enough to get an interview with him. When he was interviewed he was asked "If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?""The ability to morph, Shape shift I guess so that I could be whoever I wanted whenever I wanted." He then was asked what he would do with his super power and his response was "I would probably play a lot of tricks on a lot of people".When asked how it would affect his life Adam felt as though he would lose the trust of a lot of people. Unfortunately for Batman, Adam is not a huge fan of his and with his powers would become the arch nemesis of Batman.

    It was a lot of fun attending the sixth annual CommUniversity event and next years event is something to look forward to.

Alex Mosher Tail to Activism

Alex Mosher

In December of 2015, Alex Mosher rescued a kitten hiding in a dumpster. She heard the meows coming and brought the young cat inside from suffering through a freezing winter. This act not only reflects her love of animals, but represents want she wants to do in her life. Alex has decided to seek a career as an animal rights activist helping fight against organizations such as Sea World, zoo's and circuses that mistreat their animals.

Jack, the kitten

Although Mosher's passion for animals has led her to the perfect career field, she understands she still has quite of bit of school left before she can save all of the suffering animals. In the meantime, Mosher is enjoying her time as an sophomore undergraduate student at Idaho State University. Aside from working part-time and being a full-time student, Mosher lives a busy life full of adventure.

She prefers to spend her time outside, camping, hiking, traveling, and exploring. Experiencing new places with her boyfriend of four years, Colby Borup, is one of her favorite activities. Although her adventures have been limited to places within the United States, she hopes to travel all over the world one day. In the upcoming summer, Alex hopes to make memories of a lifetime with her family and friends.

Nebraska Native Leaves a Management Position to be an English Teacher

Kyle Boston moved to Idaho several years ago after finding himself lacking fulfillment with his work. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Kyle left his position managing a bank to return to school and get a degree. Since then he has studied at Idaho State University and hopes to teach students more than just grammar and reading.

Kyle Boston taking a break form a hike.

Kyle wants to be able to impact the lives of youth and, once accepted into ISU’s teaching program, he sees himself teaching students at a high school level. He also would like to involve himself in extra-curricular clubs for students and wants to volunteer his time to make sure they continue to be provided. Clubs like high school yearbook or newspaper are clubs he is willing to advise in order to help students.

Since his interview, Kyle has remained busy with school and has begun registering for classes to help him enter the teaching program at ISU. His love for the mountains in Idaho has made it hard to decide whether he wants to teach here or in his home state. He has faced some personal issues that have prevented him from considering moving back to Nebraska, like the passing of his beloved dog, and the future remains unknown for now.

Kyle Boston in his home state of Nebraska.

Though he faces many daily obstacles to get an education, like the fifty-minute commute to ISU from Idaho Falls where he lives, Kyle is dedicated to seeking a career that can provide him with more than just a paycheck.

What's the Big Deal with Bigamy

What's the Big Deal with Bigamy

by Kyle Boston

Rallying for the cause at a San Francisco Pride rally in 2004
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyamory)

In light of the incident that recently took place on school grounds involving some of the faculty here at ISU (read about it, or see a video of the issue), the issue of polygamy has recently become a subject of some interest on campus, but I, for one, don't see what the big deal is.

For those unaware, Judith Morris, an ISU professor, had her class interrupted several weeks ago by Todd Morris, another professor, who accused her of infidelity and provided evidence in front of her surprised students that she was in a relationship with another man.  Morris admitted to being married to another man and courting a third leading to her being arrested under suspicion of bigamy by the public safety officers on hand at ISU.

In this instance, one can see why there are laws against plural marriages.  Yet, what about instances where all the parties involved are aware of one another and love and support one another?  Why should this be considered illegal in our country?  The law against bigamy is derived from Christian beliefs that a marriage should be between a man and woman yet in our country isn't there supposed to be a separation of church and state?  Why then, does our country's laws prohibit it?

Recently, a federal judge ruled that part of the law is "unconstitutional," a small victory for polygamists.  It seems that many opinions are changing as well due to the access gained into the personal lives of some prominent polygamists due to reality TV, and some think that it will soon be a bigger topic of contention going forward.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as everyone involved knows what's going on and is comfortable with the situation then I don't see why it's such a big deal, though I don't plan to bring the subject up with my wife any time soon.

Idaho State University Professors Full of Surprises

Students at ISU have witnessed bizarre incidents involving their Professors over the last few years.

Last month, Judy Morris was confronted by her husband Todd Morris in front of her class in the Liberal Arts building. After being questioned about her recent suspicious activity, Judy caved under the pressure and confessed her love for not one, but two other men besides her husband Todd in front of the class. Public Safety officers were called to the room and placed Judy under arrest for "trigamy," a crime we don’t hear about very often. Eventually it was revealed to her shocked and confused class that this was just a performance to give them a spot news article to write about. This is not the first time Morris has staged a crime for her students to write about. She has stolen dogs, money, and a skateboard, all for the sake of her students.

While this incident was only a personal matter that was staged for the purpose of an assignment, another incident that happened in September of 2014 had the potential to be deadly.

Physical Science Complex, Idaho State University

Shortly after classes began for the 2014 fall semester, chemistry professor Byron Bennett accidentally shot himself in the foot during his lecture. He was carrying a small caliber pistol in his pocket when it went off in the Physical Science Complex in a class with about 20 students. Out of everyone in the classroom, Bennett was the only person who was injured. Bennett was treated at Portneuf Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries. This accident occurred shortly after a new law went into effect permitting people to carry concealed weapons anywhere on campus except the dorms. The incident has people questioning whether this law makes people safer or puts more people in danger and has received national attention from sources such as the Washington Post, CBS, and the Huffington Post.

No matter how bizarre, rehearsed, or serious the incidents are, students at ISU should always be on their toes ready for anything that might happen.