The Utah Statesman, February 13, 2012

Feb. 13, 2012

Today: Check out our slide show of the Mardis Gras event. Great!

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ASUSU leaders revisit platforms

This is part one of a two-part series examining the platforms current ASUSU · officers ran wit~ and their progress since taking office

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ERIK MIKKELSEN ASUSU president

Platform: Continue the positive things that are currently being done and revitalize ASUSU.

"We've kind oflooked at what ASUSU has done in the past, and we wanted to make sure that things are the most efficient that they can possibly be. We've looked at the budget, we've reallocated a lot of different funds to make it more efficient and better off for the students.

"You'll see some constitutional changes coming up in the end of the February vote we're going to be eliminating one of those positions on ASUSU as well as (execute) a · full (restructuring) of the Graduate Student Senate. That will really help us use our funds wisely and revitalize the operations in ASUSU."

KIRSTEN FRANK Executive vice president

Platform: To act as a dedicated voice of the USU student body in relevant governmental affairs.

"That's kind of an impending goal right now. I think, frankly, just in my life, anytime I talk to a politician, or anything like that, I make sure to make an Aggie joke or ask them when they're coming up for Aggie Ice Cream, or something like that. But I think the way we are going to accomplish that idea the most is through Aggie Ice Cream Day. It's a tradition that was started on Capitol Hill a few years back.

"So, on Feb. 22, this year, we are going down and we are bringing over 600 tubs of Aggie Ice Cream to the Hill."

Platform: Increase awareness of the Student Advocate and strengthen participation of the Ombudsman Program.

"We passed out 968 free (Chickfil-A) sandwiches throughout the day on Day on the Quad. (Students) couldn't just get one, they had to meet me and shake my hand."

Take full advantage of the Student Voice Committee.

"I restructured the entire committee. In the past the Student Voice _committee consisted of the senators appointing people to be on the committee I made applications and passed them out on Day on the Quad We had a ton of applications come in."

Platform: Establish a collective website for all USU Club Sports.

"It's already been done. We worked on integrating a score ticker that teams can use to pull up their scores, so people can know more about how club sports are doing."

Get the decibel meter in the Spectrum working.

"We didn't get that done exactly. We found out that the infrastructure that runs it isn't

ASUSU, Page 2

Students establish campus magazine

BY BRACKEN ALLEN staff writer

A group of USU students who hope to bring news to their peers in a meaningful, relateable way have started a news magazine.

Aggie BluePrint is the product of students across campus who realized though USU has a newspaper and various college magazines, such as Liberalis, it didn't have a magazine specifically to express students' thoughts, interests and opinions, said Kate Rouse DuHadway, Aggie BluePrint editor in chie£ "I thought we needed a magazine, because a newspaper and a magazine have really different functions," DuHadway said. "A newspaper is just to get the information out there, but magazines can go in depth about things and really have more opportunities for design and the artistic

KATE DUHADWAY side of journalism." Max Parker Dahl, Aggie BluePrint campus life editor, said Aggie BluePrint is a result ofUSU's growth. "Utah State is a wonderful school, but it is still developing into a worldclass university," Dahl said. "Every year, new buildings and programs are built, athletics continue to improve and reach new heights."

"The students in (the journalism) department wanted to keep pace with the upward momentum and saw the need for this medium to exist," Dahl said. "It gives room for deeper focus on the community as well as the university level."

Rhett Wilkinson, Aggie BluePrint assistant managing editor, conducted a w-vey of students across campus. He said two-thirds of about 280 respondents agreed that a student magazine could fill a void that neither The Utah Statesman nor college magazines, like Liberalis, filled.

The monthly news magazine will publish its second issue online Feb. 13. Other articles will be added throughout the month as the Aggie BluePri.nt staff sees fit. DuHadway said Nathan Firth has been crucial in handling graphic design for the magazine.

Aggie BluePrint will have section! covering campus life, politics, fine n arts, culture and diversity, style, health, entertainment, science, sports, and opinion. DuHadway said occasionally the staff may add sections such as outdoors for month§' ata time. The staff will also compile a calendar of USU and local events and it working to create an interactive quote board on the website for humorous quotes people overhear around campus, she said. Most students are not aware of : news events occurring across cam, : pus and mostly just focus on their : own colleges or their own groups,: DuHadway said, and she hopes Aggie BluePrint can bridge these • gaps and bring USU together. DuHadway saio •)See BLUEPRINT, Page 2

Soul Food Dinner traces Black histo~

news editor

The Black Student Union celebrated African-American culture with Southern cuisine and a variety of performances at its Soul Food Dinner on Friday.

USU students and community members attended the nearly sold-out event in the TSC Ballroom.

One of the performers, Juenee Roberts, said the event was a chance for African-American students to teach others about their culture.

"Mostly it's just a time for us to show everybody what we hold dear to our hearts," Roberts said.

Black Student Union President Ashley Miller said this year members of the union wanted to tell the story of their people. The event traditionally features the talents of African-American students, but this year's performances were organized in a timeline of cultural history, Miller said.

Seven performances, including dance, poetry and song, traced the history of African-Americans from their roots in Africa, through slavery in America and the industrial revolution, to today.

The timeline culminated in a performance of R&B singer-songwriter Jill Scott's song "Golden," by Roberts and fellow student Shalayna Guisao.

Roberts, a freshman studying vocal performance, said she chose the song because it represented her people's struggle for freedom and equality.

"All the slavery, all the oppression, all the segregation, all that stuff, we had to take it," Roberts said. "Now we live in a time where we have to make our own lives golden. We have to make that shine, because we've already been through so much So what's the sense of holding on to the grief and the heartache? It's time to live for us."

Attendees paid $12 for entry, and a menu of fried chicken, catfish, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, corn bread and king cake was included with the fee.

Tyson Stokes of Smithfield attended the event with his wife, Amber, a graduate student at USU. Stokes said he came primarily for the food, and he wasn't disappointed.

"It's a nice mix - not too much filler. All the good stuff," Stokes said.

Though he was raised in California, his family has roots in Arkansas and Mississippi, Stokes said. "I have a soft spot for soul food," Stokes said. "Generationally, they still cook this way at my house, so it's kind oflike going home - going to Mom's house."

Amber Stokes said she came to the event looking forward to the entertain• See UNION, Page 2

•

Briefs Campus & Community Business club receives honor

A new student club at the Huntsman School of Business has been recognized by a global organization as Best New Student Chapter in 2011.

In fall 2010, students at USU founded a student chapter of the Association for Information Systems (AIS), a global professional organization for research, teaching, practice and study of information systems.

Kathy Chudoba, associate professor of management information systems, accepted the best new chapter award on behalf of Robert Hayden, faculty adviser for the USU chapter of AIS, at the International Conference on Information Systems held in Shanghai, China, December 2011. Clayton Fielding is a senior in the MIS department and tlie USU AIS president. He said the chapter submitted a report of its activities for its first academic year, detailing the results of its plans to help student~ain knowledge, get connected and get employed. Among other events, the USU AIS chapter has a special Partners In Business session with speakers brought in to talk to MIS students, Fielding said.

lnTech student meets president

Future Aggie Jayme Warner was in the compan}' of several prominent people during a trip to Washington, D.C., that included a VIP invitation to the White House and the opportunity to shake hands with President Barack Obama.

"I keep thinking 'When am I going to wake up?'" said the 17-yearold junior at lnTech Collegiate High School on USU's Innovation Campus. "There aren't words to describe it." Warner was ooe of about 100 teens from throughout the nation invited to participate in the second annual White H<tuse Science Fair on Feb. 7. Guests included middle and high school•age recipients of top science and mathematics competitions. Warner was invited as the 2011 winner of the senior division of the DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition.

At the East Room ceremony, Warner was seated on a platform about six feet from Obama, as her father, USU alumnus Alan Warner, and science teacher, Stephanie Kawamura, watched from the audience.

Also in attendance were NASA head and veteran astronaut Charles Bolden, along with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of the PBS program "NOVA Science Now " Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters," and television personality Bill Nye the Science Guy were also there.

The policy ofThe Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something )'OU would like darified or find in error, please contact the editor at 797•1742, statesman@aggiemail.usu.edu or come in to TSC 105.

From Page 1

ment. If she and her husband are still everybody- Africans, Mexicans, about African-American culture, food particularly popular among Africanin Cache Valley next year, she said Asians - it was everybody, and I and entertainment. American university students in the they will definitely attend the event really appreciate that." Shanice Stevenson performed with South, but that's not where the style again.

Miller said she hoped those in the Black Student Union step team. originated.

'Tm sad that I just found out about attendance had fun and learned more She said step, as a form of dance, is "It started in Africa, of course," it this year," she said. "I've been miss- Stevenson said. "It's just making a ing out." rhythm and beat with your hands and·

Miller said the Black Student feet, just kind oflike your body is your Union sold all but four of the 140 tick- instrument." ets printed for the event. Money raised Stevenson said the step team's at the event will pay for the Soul Food performance at the

and other activities the Black required about a month of

Student Union hosts, .she said. practice.

Roberts said though she was per

said the

Student forming, shei was also excited for the Union and African Student food but didn't have a chance to taste Association worked hard to prepare it until after her performance. the event, and she was pleased with

"I couldn't eat before I went on the outcome. stage, because anxiety and nervous-

"It came together very well. I was ness just takes up all your eating really, really stressed, but it came space," Roberts said. together very, very well. It came out

"It was successful and beautiful," the way I wanted it to," Miller said. Roberts said "It was beautiful because it wasn't JUSt black people here, it was

From Page 1

AS USU leaders explain

Service vice president

Platform: Raise awareness of the Val R. Christensen Service Center.

"I developed a volunteer tracking ~ystem. Through creating that, I met my main goal of raismg awareness of the service center. It's in its fust week of being a system, but, through that, it will create more knowledge and awareness of the service center," Work and c2mmunicate with otherJuniversity organizations to milte efforts to serve.

"When I made this goal, I thought I would plan service projects and do all sorts of stuff, but it's not really like that, because we don't have unlimited funding to pay for service projects. It's more been support."

From Page 1

Graduate Studies vice president

Platform: Get the graduate students better represented throughout campus.

"We passed a bill basically restrucuring the GSS. There are no longer senators. There was double representation between GSS and Academic .Senate.

"In the past they talked about disbanding the GSS, but this way we are not completely eliminating it There will at least« a graduate enator on the Academic Senate and two represen1atives under:the senator.

"It wasn't as ifl wasn't accomplishing my goals, but it changes the goal. It was out of my control, but at least keeping the students represented and keeping the funding was most important."

she first had the idea for a student-run news magazine

one year ago, when she was assigned to create a business plan in an entrepreneurship class she was taking.

She said her business plan did not solidify until this year, though, when she was in a magazine-writing class taught by Cathy Bullock.

"When I was in Cathy Bullock's class, we had to come up with ideas for articles to submit to a real publication - to a real magazine," DuHadway said.

"A Jot of the articles they were coming up with were really good ideas, but none of the publkations that existed would have accepted them.

"The other students were talking, saying it would be so awesome if we had a student magazine for Utah State University - not fur any one department, but for the whole university - where we could address some of these issues that are important to students that may not get brought up otherwise."

DuHadway said she then mentioned she already had the business plan for such a magazine but would need help to get it started.

"There were about seven of them from that class, and they were all excited about it and wanted to make

Programming vice president

Platform: Enrich the USU experience for all students In extracurricular activities.

"I think one of the biggest things that I have done is create a team of people that-are willing to work for that same platform that I have. So, it was my responsibility to hire three directors - the Activities director, the Traditions director and the Arb and Lectures director. By making sure that they were working together, (I) made sure that the events that we're domg are successful, diverse and inclusive for all people. You know, everyone could come, from married couples to people who are single and want to bring a date to people who are just coming to have a good time."

Platform: Create a more student-friendly environment amongst the senate.

"It all goes on with that more inviting atmosphere for the students to be able to come and talk to their senators. fve made an effort to talk to diffenmt students about different issues about what they want.

"So, I think by having those different activitiesgetting students involved and knowing that they have a senator - they can make a difference, as well as (by) having a senate council training so that the councils are more prepared to take on those issues and to do things on their own."

it happen," she said. Wilkinson then conducted his online survey and said it was helpful to hear from non-journalism students regarding their opinions of and visions for a student magazine. He said the survey offered the group outside views of what it should aim for with the magazine.

It was also from this survey that group members decided to change the magazine's name from lnversion to Aggie BluePrint.

The stafflater heard about Opportunity Quest, an entrepreneurship competition organized by the Huntsman School ofBusiness, and decided to enter its business plan into the contest, DuHadway said.

Though the group did not win Opportunity Quest, it was among the top 10 finalists, and DuHadway said the competition forced the group to hone its business plan and work out the logistics.

"Our business plan was a little different than everyone else's, because our first goal isn't to actually make a profit. Our first goal is to make a magazine for USU and to make it sustainable. That's not necessarily traditional. For these competitions, they're usually

Platform: Help students take ownership of their college experience and make USU their home away from home.

"We've required that every dub has an adviser, and that really helps, because then there's another person tying it together.

"We've really focused this year just by making sure that the quality clubs that are in existence right now that those clubs will keep going.

Just making (involvement) accessible, or trying to make sure our dub presidents are prepared and (are) good leaders - to get more people involved, and so that people in (those) dubs can have good experiences and to just feel more comfortable on campus.

•>Compiled by Marissa Shields and Brianna Bodily

looking for whoever is going to make the most money for the investors," DuHadway said.

She said for now the group 1s running as cl.OQllprofit dub but might soon start working to receiw enough in-magazine advertisements to make profit DuHadwar said Aggie BluePrint has a regular staff but "can always use more contnbutors.'

She said any length of commitment will be accepted, and some writers plan to write at least one artidl:, each JllOnth.

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\_ BY DREW VAN DYKE staff writer

• ..

Not everyone believes in true love. While many students at USU are familiar with the notion, few claim to have found it There is, however, one topic on campus that some students find more relatable: heartbreak.

The mutual friend

After graduating from high school, Malyssa Menzdorf, a junior majoring in technical writing, enrolled at USU with her boyfriend at the time.

"I followed him to Utah State," she said. "I always had it in my head that we would eventually get married."

Because they lived nearby one another on campus, Menzdorf and her boyfriend had numerous mutual friends. However, the closeness of their living quarters also created a strain on their relationship, she said. As a result, the couple broke up for a month and then got back together.

"One day, my boyfriend was like, 'I have to tell you something,"' Menzdorf said. "He was super nervous."

During the conversation that followed, Menzdorfs boyfriend told her that he had slept with someone, a mutual friend they were both dose to.

"At first, I thought he was joking," Menzdorf said. "But he was completely serious."

As her boyfriend continued, Menzdorf said she learned that the individual with whom he had slept was not only a mutual friend, but a boy as well.

"He told me that this kid had com• forted him after the fight we had and that one thing led to another," she said. Menzdorfsaid she discovered that her boyfriend had been bisexual for 'I

eight months, something she had been unaware of until that point in time. "My boyfriend cheated on me with

a boy," she said. "At the time I was 19, and he had been my only boyfriend. It shattered my world view for a while, but I wasn't broken forever."

The other men

When he began dating a freshman at USU, Samuel Wright, a junior majoring in music education, said he was unaware of the drama that would follow.

"She was my first real girlfriend, and we were pretty tight," Wright said.

As the couple grew closer, he said they learned more about each other's pasts. They spoke openly on many different topics, including past relationships.

"She would reference her exboyfriend and say that she had to go see his family," he said. "It was revealed over time that she would get back together with him once he got back from his (LDS) mission."

Upon further discussion, Wright learned that his girlfriend was still together with her so-called "ex" while pursuing another man she worked with. She was in a relationship with three guys simultaneously.

"It was super messy, so I eventually pulled my head out," Wright said. "I came to a point where I decided enough was enough."

Although Wright hopes to avoid similar relationships in the future, he said that he appreciated the experience because it gave him new perspective on affection and heartbreak.

"Growing up, my parents cautioned me to guard my heart - not to give it away. To some degree I've realized that it's true, because you still think about those people every once and a while.

You still care enough to wonder," he said.

The proposal

Courtney Robinson, a junior majoring in broadcast journalism, intended on marrying her Mississippi boyfriend after he served an LDS mission.

• "We started dating when I was 16 years old, and he was the love of my life," Robinson said. "He had given me a promise ring, and we were going to get married once he got home."

While he served his two-year mission, Robinson began her degree at USU. Though they were apart, they continued correspondence through hand-written letters and email, she said.

When he returned, Robinson was in the middle of her sophomore year.

"He took me out a little bit, but it was weird and not the same," she said.

After realizing the changes that they had both experienced, Robinson and her long-time boyfriend decided to take a break. She continued her education in Logan, and he began school at Brigham Young University.

During the separation, he began communicating frequently with another girl in Mississippi.

"This girl wrote him while he was on his mission," Robinson said. "She was crazy, into drugs and has a Dave Matthews tramp-stamp."

When the girl spontaneously moved to Provo to date Robinson's boyfriend, Robinson decided it was time to discuss their relationship.

"He said he wanted to be with me and told me to come down to figure things out," Robinson said.

At his request, she drove to Provo to talk about their relationship.

"Everything seemed normal," Robinson said. "He kissed me and told

me that he loved me. I left his house that night and told him that if things work out, we'd get back together." got back to school, we moved into the friend zone."

That night, Robinson said she left with the impression that they would be getting back together. The next day, Robinson said she received a phone call from a close friend.

"She told me that this kid had gotten engaged,' Robinson said. "I said, 'What are you talking about? I was with him last night."'

Robinson learned that once she had left his apartment the night before, he had proposed to the other girl. Though Robinson had dated him for years, he asked the other girl to marry him, having dated her for only one month, she said.

''I've never talked to him again," Robinson said. "He works in the custodial department at BYU, and I work in the athletic department at USU - so I'm pretty much winning."

The Facebook video

Patrick Romero, a junior majoring in graphic design, and Kyli Hirshi, a sophomore majoring in exercise science, began dating during spring semester 2011.

Though his roommates doubted him, Romero said he successfully courted Hirshi after months of pursuit.

"It started when he would always come to our dorms and play pingpong," Hirshi said. "That was his cover story."

As the schoolyear came to an end, the couple decided against dating exclusively, Hirshi said.

However, when Romero returned from summer employment, they attempted to pick up where they had left off.

"We started dating again, but she wasn't into it," Romero said. "Once we

Although Hirshi and Romero tried

to limit their relationship to a friendship • status, they were faced with complications, Hirshi said.

"We were stupid," Hirshi said. "We'd kiss and say 'Friends kiss, let's be friends with benefits.' That doesn't work.''

As the duo continued spending each day together, the situation became increasingly problematic.

"We needed to decide whether we were dating or not, because she felt like she was missing out on opportunities to date other people," Romero said. "I wanted to try dating again. She needed to think about it."

Faced with the choice, Hirshi decided against dating Romero. Although both had expressed love for the other, their relationship had failed to advance.

"We really liked each other, but other people viewed it as platonic - it wasn't that intimate," Hirshi said. "My heart was broken, because I cared for him so much, but it wasn't going anywhere because of the friendliness of our relationship."

"Kylie always had a bunch of guy friends when we were dating," Romero said. "She said that they could just be friends. I always told her that she didn't realize how it works."

After he and Hirshi officially broke up, Romero utilized his complicated experience for a project in school. The result was "Why Can't Men and Women Be Friends," a video compiled on the USU campus that has nearly 6 million views on YouTube.

"I picked that subject mostly because ofher denial," Romero said. "It's a good feeling to know that I've validated my point."

drevandizzle@gmail.com

Songs for the hopeless romantics

When I typed "love songs" into Pandora I got "Lonely" by Akan. This confirms my belief that classic love music is dead.

I guess we still have those crooners, but the male lead is slowly being replaced by melodic and melancholy female counterparts like Taylor Swift, Ingrid Michealson, Colbie Caillat and Carrie Underwood. Soft rock like Styx and Journey are being eaten up by popular artists like Bruno Mars. Even though each artist has a love song to their repertoire, are the love songs from my '90s childhood gone? Here is a list of my five favorite Valentine's Day songs. Each category has a male and female song choice.

5. Female: "My Humps," by the Black Eyed Peas. Male: "Sexy and I Know It," by LMFAO.

"My Humps" and "Sexy and I Know It" are power songs that make you believe in yourself, no matter who you are. If I was about to hit the town as a single person, ready to make the big catch on Feb. 14, these songs would get me in the zone for victory. If only Tom Brady had listened to "Sexy and I Know It," maybe he would have taken the field with more authority and not gotten beat by the underdogs. Even the honorable mentions "Hips Don't Lie," by Shakira, and "Bringing Sexy

Valentine's Day songs Back," by Justin Timberlake, get you in Valentine's spirit. From the club to the Superbowl, these songs get you in a loving mood.

4. Female: "Love Story," by Taylor Swift. Male: "Oh, It is Love," by HelloGoodbye.

For hopeless romantics like myself, the DJ spins these songs to set the mood for a sweet smooch under the glow of candles and moonlight. Both songs focus on the story of two people falling in love. One is a forbidden love, the other is over a first look, but they're both sweet and genuine. There are few songs that are sweetly simple yet drive home the feeling of fluttering and warmth of new love. "Oh, It is Love" does just that with great lyrics and the lead singer's dreamy voice sailing the song straight to the heart. Even though every T-Sw1ft song could make the list, "Love Song" is the classic that started it off and has driven girls everywhere to find a secret love.

These songs set the right mood for any Valentine's get-together.

3. Female: "Someone Like You," by Adele. Male: "Haven't Met You Yet," by Micheal Buble.

For those that begin every day worshipping a homemade sanctuary to a past boyfriend or girlfriend, whether it be a picture on a cell phone or a delicately crafted sculpture like in "Hey Arnold!" these sor;,gs are made to get you out of the house and out of that funk. Girls, find a man who is identical to the guy you thought was the one, just better. Guys, she wasn't the one, so find that woman who makes your heart pump. The two perspectives are as different as females are to males. There aren't many male songs that say, "You were exactly what I was looking for, but you dumped me, so I want another girl just like you."

In any chick flick where the guy finds love after the breakup, the other girl is completely different. When it comes to girls, the guy is exactly like the other guy, but more attractive, sweeter or funnier.

2. Female: "I Do," by Colbie Caillat Male: "Wouldn't Be A Man," by Josh Turner.

These songs are for those ones who are deeply

in love, the happily-everafters or the together-forevers. If you love someone, marry them. But my advice, albeit as an unmarried man, wait until you know it's real. Josh Turner has a voice that would make even the most crotchety women melt. He has a presence in his music, and the song is about being manly and loving a woman. "I Do" is one of the most lovable songs I have heard in a long time. The poppy beat with the great vocals make anyone want to say those words. Perfect for the endgame, these songs are for those who are engaged and feel what these truly words mean.

1. Female: "Single Ladies," by Beyonce Male: "Paradise by The Dashboard Light," by Meat Loaf.

Because everyone has heard "Single Ladies," I'm going to focus more on the Meat Loaf song. This song is one of those forgotten jewels. It's one of those great story ballads emerging from the '80s that is not only great to listen to, but is hilarious as well. Give it a listen, and you'll realize guys are focused on the intimate while girls are focused on the ring.

- alexander.h.van oene@ aggiemail.usu.edu

An engagement to remember

BY VICTORIA HEPWORTH staff writer

With thousands of married students on campus, USU is home to engagement stories of all kinds.

Four couples shared stories of how they began their journey. From midnight walks to theme parks, each couple has their own unique story.

"She was shocked and totally surprised," said Parker Jeppesen, referring to when he proposed to · his wife.

A night to remember Cody Fullmer proposed to Sarah Phillips on the side of a mountain, looking out across the valley. They were inside a heart, cut out of the weeds, Fullmer said. It was the same spot where they had their first date and where they became an official couple, he said.

Fullmer and his friends hauled a weed whacker up to carve the heart, he said. Around the heart they placed tiki torches with LED lights hanging around them. In the center of the heart was a table and chairs with a photo album on it. A ring was hidden underneath the table. Fullmer said he knew if he had the ring in his pocket, she would suspect something.

A generator for the lights and a microwave to warm up lasagna were hidden in the bushes.

·Fullmer's friends were also in the bushes ready to take pictures, he said.

"It was pretty elaboratehauling up a generator, cutting the grass with the weed whacker and setting everything up," he said.

There

When the time came, Fullmer said he suggested to Phillips that they go back to their special spot on the mountaµi. "As we got closer, I saw the table with the black tablecloth on it and thought it was a cow," P_hillips said.

Phillips said she caught a glimpse of one ofFullmer's friends, so when she saw the table set up in the heart she thought it was someone else's moment. She then said she saw a vase that Fullmer had given her on an earlier date with new flowers in it. She said she realized it was for her.

Fullmer got down on one knee, held out the ring and asked her to marry him. "She said yes, cried and we kissed," Fullmer said.

Caught on camera

Tyrell Hebdqn and his family were taking family pictures on a Saturday afternoon. He and Lydia Scott had been dating for about five months - two of those exclusively - and were talking about getting married, Hebdon said.

Hebdon's mom said the family pictures should include his girlfriend, since she was probably going to be a part of the family, he said.

"She told me that I should propose before we got the pictures done," Tyrell said. "I really wanted it to be a surprise, and I knew she would be expecting it, so I decided to wait until the last second so she wouldn't see it coming."

Tyrell had not formally proposed, but said he and Scott had attended a bridal fair that morning looked at rings. Scott didn't realize Hebdon had already purchased one.

"I had my family and the photographer all in on it, too,"

he said. "They started taking pictures of my siblings and their families, and when it was time for us and everyone to be in the picture, I asked her if she felt weird, and she said yes."

He said the photographer was told beforehand to ask why. A family member told him that she was just a girlfriend. The photographer then said they should get some pictures without her in case it didn't work out, he said.

"This was kind of mean, I know, but it helped her to not expect anything," Tyrell said.

As Lydia walked away from the pictures, Tyrell grabbed her hand to stay and told her she was part of the family, too.

"Actually, I am not," she said.

"Well, then let's make it official," he said, as he knelt down.

He said she didn't think he was being serious until she saw the ring that he pulled out.

She said yes, and the photographer was able to capture it all on camera, he said,

Hide-and-seek

Colin Loose and Aubrey Hoggard dated for a while before Loose had to move from Logan to Roy, Hoggard said.

With Hoggard staying in Logan, the couple only got to see each other on week.ends, she said.

One Saturday, Aubrey got off work late and was speeding down to Roy, near Ogden, to meet Colin for dinner.

Loose packed a picnic basket to eat at Heritage Par.le in Syracuse, Utah.

"We spread out our blanket in front of the waterfall and had our cute little picnic," Hoggard said.

After dinner, Colin suggested they go for a walk. The path was lined with lamp posts, she said.

"I was afraid that she wouldn't realize what was going on if she couldn't see the ring," Loose said.

The pair came to a playground, and Loose's original idea was to have the ring out and be down on one knee before she hit the bottom of the slide, but she slid too fast, so he had to find another way, he said.

As they resumed the walk down the path, Loose found a hillside, which was perfect to play hide-and-seek, he said, because of the rocks and trees all over it.

See ENGAGEMENT, Page 6

~';1 Daniel Davis 011, FORGOTT8'J PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE UNION PACIRC RAILROAD

Wednesday, February 15 7:00 p.m. Library Room 101

The winners for 1he 2011 Leonard J. Arrington Wrtting Awards will be announced.

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"I was in high school on a da_te with a girl who liked me. liked her, but I didn't want it _to go anywhere. She had tried to make some moves on me before, but I had denied ~er. We ended up watching Ghostbusters' at my place. I looked over at her durin th g e movie, and she was staring at me. I told her to watch movie. I looked over at her again, and she had her eyes dosed and was I ing toward me her lips puckered,; thought to mysd( 'This is it.> We en up making out. It tenible." Kellen.

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From Page 5

Prior to the engagement

Aubrey agreed to play and started counting to 15. He said she heard him walk away but also heard him walk back. '1 was at 10, thinking 'Seriously?' Then 13, thinking 'My stupid boyfriend doesn't even know how to play hideand-seek,"' she said. After 15 seconds, she said she opened her eyes, and Loose was down on one knee.

Hoggard started laughing, stopping only long enough for him to ask the question, she said.

"I couldn't stop smiling or laughing. It felt like a dream, and I couldn't get it to set in. No matter how hard I tried;' she said.

Disneyland magic Parker Jeppesen has been to Disneyland 54 times in 22 years, and his wife Tianna loves Disneyland as well, he said.

"I just love being there. I love all the attractions. It's a sensory experience. Good music and being there with the people you love is what makes it so special," Parker said. "You can check your worries at the door." Parker's family went once every ear when he was a child, he

- King CrosswordAnswers Solution time: 25 mins.

said. Then Parker's brother, Carson Jeppeson, was born with autism. Carson loved going to Disneyland, so the family started going two or three times a year, he said. "Being at Disneyland allows Carson to be himself in a carefree place free ofjudgment," Parker said. August 2011, Tiauna was on vacation there with her family, while Parker was allegedly at Yellowstone National Park with his, he said. Parker went as far as sending her fake Google images of a moose, to ensure that she didn't suspect anything. He was actually at Disneyland the same ti.me that Tiauna was, he said. He sent her a small gift for every day she was there. On the last day, he gave her two pennies to drop into the wishing well. When she got there, she found Parker, kneeling with a ring. he said. Disneyland was also the chosen spot for their honeymoon.

"It has developed into a special place," Parker said. - victoria.hepworth@aggiemail.usu.edu

Try Squares answer

Cougars embarrassed

BY MEREDITH KINNEY

senior writer

The

USU wasted no time, when BYU came to town Friday night, dispatching the Cougars 20-0.

USU forward Billy Gouthro scored early on in the first period and forwards Garry Higgs and Tyler Firth followed with goals of their own. The Aggies got three more goals before the period ended, including the first of two from Cache Valley native David Reeve.

The Aggies led 7-0 after the first period.

Utah State forward Matt Hamilton scored two goals in the second, and Brian Gibbons got his second of the night on the way to an 11-0 lead after two periods of play. «rt was a bit lopsided score, but that's for the fans," USU forward Joel Basson said. "That's whatthey pay for."

The Aggies scored 11 more in the third. Matt Hamilton scored his hat-trick goal, and USU captain Brendan MacDonald scored two goals in the final 20 minutes.

Utah State goaltender Allesandto Mullane picked up his first shutout of the season.

"He did well," Utah State head coach Jon Eccles said of the San Jose State transfer goalie. "He only faced 15 shots, but that's tough to keep focused."

USU 9, Weber State 5

Utah State hit the road, traveling to Ogden, to face Weber State University on Saturday night, but the Aggies struggled for the first two periods.

"The guys have a tough time getting up when they think they will be playing 10 or 11 guys," Eccles said. "It pushed us. We just didn't have the intensity I wish we could have had."

The Aggies came out slow, struggling to find offensive openings. Gibbons put the Aggies on the board first with a goal, but Weber State answered with a goal from Curtis Snowball.

Utah State was knocking on WSU's doorstep, taking hard shots that sailed just wide of the net.

"Last few games, we've been coming out slow," Basson said. 'Tm not sure there's a real reason for it. We have some good chances, (but) we just can't put

See WEBER, Page 12 AGGIE SKATERS CELEBRATE the 20-0 win over Brigham Young University on Friday at the Eccles Ice Center. KIMBERLY SHORTS photo WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Aggie women escape NMSU

BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor

The USU women's basketball team had to grit it out, but the Aggies capitalized on New Mexico State's rough first half to take the 57-45 victory in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday. A trio of nOFthern Aggies scored in double figures, but it was USU's collective effort to score in the paint that made the difference.

"Our transition is a key to our game," USU junior guard Jenna Johnson said. "Our transition is a key to everything. When we get steals and we are getting layups, it fuels our offense every single time."

Points in the paint didn't come easy against the Western Athletic Conference leaders in rebounding.

and 10 points from the free-throw line, everyone of its points came inside the paint. USU also notched 18 assists on 25 made baskets.

"(That's) a good approach to sharing the ball," Pebley said.

Both teams struggled to score in the opening minutes before New Mexico State hit the first shot two minutes into the contest. Johnson, who led the team with 11 points and six assists, ended the scoring drought with a layup on the ensuing possession.

A free throw from senior forward Tabytha Wampler, who led New Mexico State with 12 points and seven rebounds, tied the game at 6-all before USU went on a 10-2 run capped by a layup from Brooke Jackson. Neither team was able to hit from 3-point range all night. USU finished the game shooting 3 of 16 for 18 percent while New Mexico State shot 4

FORWARD TYRONE WATSON waves to spectators in the Spectrum as defeated USU players walk off the court after 80-69 loss to New Mexico State on Saturday. TODD JONES photo

Utah State not winning close games

BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor

Utah State men's basketball hasn't fared well is close games this season. The Aggies lost eight games decided by 10 points or less and USU held leads in the final minutes of seven of those games.

"It is pretty obvious that we are good enough to play in a lot of close games; we are not good enough to win them," USU head coach Stew Morrill said.

"That is something that has happened to us a lot."

USU suffered another close loss at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, just its third at home, but final score of80-69 against New Mexico State was not indicative of how close the game really was.

"It was disappointing," Morrill said. "We hadn't played great, but we had battled to go a head by one point and from that point on, everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong. It's disappointing because it just keeps happening, with three or four minutes to go we are right there, we are in a position where we can win and we don't make plays and the other team does."

New Mexico State used a full-court press and heightened.defensive pressure all around to disrupt USU's offense.

"They turned up the pressure a little bit and we just backed off a little bit," sophomore forward Danny Berger said. "They really extend the zone and a couple of times we did a good job of seeing the posts in the high post but we didn't do enough of that. We didn't attack it enough and we just

passed it around the perimeter."

USU's struggle to close out the victory against New Mexico State somewhat resembled its first Western Athletic Conference loss against the season against Nevada. USU tied the game at 56-all midway through the first half before turnovers and missed shots began to pile up.

The Aggies never recovered and a 3-point make by Nevada sophomore guard Deonte Burton sealed the game with just under two minutes remaining. Turnovers and missed free-throws sunk the Aggies against Texas A&M, Corpus-Christi in the overtime loss. USU had a six-point lead against Idaho on the road with just under four minutes to play before turnovers and stagnant offense gave the Vandals the win.

Berger commented on the number ofclose losses that have plagued USU.

"It's just execution down the stretch," Berger said. "The other team does a good job, and we don't. We just don't execute down the stretch. We've got to get better at it in a hurry."

Fellow sophomore guard Preston Medlin said he thinks there is still time to improve how USU finishes close games.

"We just need to play better and not turn it over at the end of the game," he said. "We've still got a good amount of the season left, so we're going to keep playing hard and see how it goes."

- ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu

BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor

The USU men's basketball team struggled mightily against New Mexico State on Saturday, eventually falling 80-69.

USU held a small lead and had several chances to expand on a lead late in the game, but Western Athletic Conference foe New Mexico State turned up the pressure. NMSU finished the game on a 14-3 run to capture an 80-69 win at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on national television.

"That was a tough one," USU sophomore guard Danny Berger said. "We couldn't get it done. We just didn't do what it takes. We didn't take care of the ball. We didn't execute like we should. That's what happens when we don't do those things."

Senior forward Wendell McKines scored 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead New Mexico State (18-8, 7-3 WAC).

"Wendell got his average," USU head coach Stew Morrill said. "He hit some big shots to keep them in the game when we were making a move. He jumped up and made some 3's - he doesn't make a lot of 3's."

Senior guard Hernst Laroche finished with 16 points and seven assists, and Morrill said he and McKines produced well for NMSU.

"I thought Hemst was great," Morrill said. "He just controlled the game. He got over our screens every time we tried to screen him. They had great production out of those two seniors."

Because of New Mexico State's size and athleticism, rebounding was a great concern for USU (13-13, 5-6 WAC}, and the southern Aggies finished the game with a 34-21 rebounding advantage.

"They dominated us on the boards," Morrill said. "They had a really good shooting night when you look at what they normally shoot from (the 3-point line). They made a lot of shots

that they normally don't make. We were giving them a lot of those shots in our gameplan, and they responded and made them."

Despite the rebounding problems, USU had its chances to take a small lead and build it late in the second half.

"We were up by a point and got outscored 15-3," Morrill said. "We turned it over, took bad shots - that is ultimately my responsibility. They turned up the heat a little bit with their athleticism, and we couldn't get anything done. They made the plays that they needed to make, and we couldn't even run our offense."

Forward Kyi.sean Reed finished with 11 points and four rebounds. The senior put USU up 66-65 on a free throw with six minutes remaining, and the northern Aggies scored three more points over the final minutes ofthe game.

USU shot a high percentage from the 3-point line, hitting 10 of20 attempts and shooting 50 percent from the field overall, but USU struggled from the freethrow line hitting 7 of 13.

"It's just kind of an adventure at the line with some of those guys," Morrill said. "They've got to believe they can do it. When the game is on the line, when you are on the free-throw line, you've

got to have enough confidence that you can do what it takes, and we don't seem to have that."

New Mexico State's Tshilidzi Nephawe tied the game at 66-all on a free throw with 5:34 remaining, and USU followed that with ill-advised shots on back-to-back possessions.

"We get to the end of the game, and we just can't finish it," sophomore guard Preston Medlin said. "It's something we need to work on. We need to cut down turnovers at the end of the game, and we need to take better shots."

Medlin said NMSU's defense gave his team problems.

"They turned up the pressure," the sophomore said. "And it gave us a lot of turnovers at the end of the game that we didn't need, and it turned into some bad shots we didn't need to take." Just as it did at the end of the first half, New Mexico State ended the second half on an offensive spurt. Freshman guard Daniel

UTAH ST. (13-13) Grim 3-4 4-7 10, Reed 5-7 1-3 11, Pane 1-7 0-0 2,

5-111-2 14, Medlin 6-15 0-0 16, Clifford 2-2 1-1 6, Farris 1-2 0-0 2, Bruneel 2-2 0-0 6, Stone 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-52 7-13 69. Halftime - New Mexico St. 38-33. 3-Point Goals - New Mexico St. 7-11 (Sy 3-4, McKines 2-3, Barry 1-2, Laroche 1-2), Utah St. 10-20 (Medlin 4-10, Berger 3-6, Bruneel 2-2, Clifford 1-1, Farris 0-1). Fouled Out - None. Rebounds - New Mexico St. 34 (McKines 9), Utah St. 21 (Grim, Reed 4). Assists - New Mexico St. 16 (Laroche 7), Utah St. 20 ·(Pane 8). Total Fouls - New Mexico St. 15, Utah St. 16. A- 10,067.

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Howell breaks SK record

BY ALI DAVIS staff writer

Over the weekend, Utah State's track and field team traveled to its last round of competition before heading to the indoor WAC championship meet next week.

The team split up in three different locations: Nampa, Idaho, for the Boise State Team Challenge, Seattle, for Washington's Husky Classic, and Albuquerque, N.M., for the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.

"We had a lot of great performances," said head coach Gregg Gensel, who attended the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.

"Several of our athletes had either season bests or all-time

bests, which is awesome."

Overall, 1 Aggies attained their best marks of the season, and the team brought home 15 top-10 finishes. Sonia Grabowska won the pole vault by clearing a height of 4.05 meters at the Boise State Team Challenge. Sam Nielsen and Julia Stewart claimed third and fifth places, respectively, in the long jump at Boise. On the mens' side, senior Damian Szade placed second in the long jump. Sophomore Kenny Hamlett cleared a height of l.84 meters in the high jump to tie his season record in a tie for sixth place. Junior Jon Goble also brought home a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles

with a personal-best time of 8.50 seconds. Senior Phillip Noble and junior Jordan McMurray followed up closely by taking seventh and ninth places, respectively. At Washington's Husky Classic, one notable athlete was Dan Howell, who broke his own school record in the 5,000meter run, setting a new time of 14 minutes, 2.25 seconds.

Notable performances from Albuquerque were had by sprinters Silas Pimentel and Katelyn Heiner. Pimentel ran a season best in the 60 with a time of 6.78 seconds and an all-time best in the 200 with 21.31. Heiner ran a personal best in the 400 with 55.09.

Looking ahead to the Western Athletic Conference Championships held in Nampa, Idaho, from Feb. 23-25, Gensel said the team is ready, and he is excited to see what the Aggies can do.

uwe're just going to practice every day and work hard," he said. "Everything we've done competition-wise is preparing us for that. We're just getting into stride for what we want to accomplish there." Full meet results can be found on the Univers.tiy. Athletics website.

- ali.davis@aggiemail.usu.edu

GYMNASTICS

Aggies dominate uneven parallel bars

BY TAVIN STUCKI sports editor

The Utah State gymnastics

the

"We're

it feeds off of each other."

All six Aggie gymnasts set personal records in the event, and none of them scored lower than 9.825.

The floor was where Richards said Utah State lost the meet.

"Floor got us again," Richards said. "We've been working hard on that event and trying to get through it."

Holliday and freshman Ashley Follett both stumbled in their routines and earned a 9.175 and 9.100 respectively. Wallace won the all-around for San Jose State with a 39.525 and set a school record in the event, followed by Landes with a 39.350, which was a school record for USU.

Landes said she likes having the high level of competition Wallace brings to the conference.

"It gives me something to push for," Landes said. "Now I have someone I can beat. There's a score out there that I know I can beat, so I've just got to keep working hard."

Landes won the balance beam and tied the school record with a personal best 9.875.

Wallace won the floor with a 9.875, followed by Landes and USU's Susie Miller who scored personal-bests of 9.850.

The loss drops USU to 2-5 and 0-2 in the WAC. SJSU jumps to 5-3 and 2-0 in conference with the win.

The Aggies will conclude the fourmeet home stand by hosting WAC foe Sacramento State on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum.

- tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu

OurYiew

Quit your Valentine's Day blubbering

Eat your hearts out Utah State. It gorge yourself with chocolate, just you can, and whine about the love don't have.

While you assure everyone aro If you that Valentine's Day is a useless holiday for squares, we will have our fingers in our ears and sing loudly.

Now, there are a handful of us that have significant others, whether we are dating someone, engaged or tied the knot There are also a handful of us living the single life, which proves to have its major perks. Dating a different person every weekend Yes, please.

Like everything else in life, Valentme's Day is what you make of it. You can choose to be the person that locks yourself in your room with a box of See's candy, weeping at every passionate kiss in "Sleepless in Seattle."

You can also choose to be the person that pops the heart-shaped balloon your friend received from his or her significant other.

Best of all, you can act as though you forgot the day existed and waste away in a computer lab watching pointless YouTube videos, though you promised yourself you would start on that essay.

If your Valentine's Day plans are non-existent, please do us a favor and make some for yourself. It would be a shame to not take advantage of all the restaurant specials around town. It would be tragic to neglect the seasonal Valentine's Day candy, complete with themed cardboard love notes. Our favorite this year are the Muppets cards. One tender card shows the Muppets character Animal, shouting as usual "AAAHH! AAAHH! VALENTINE!

Everyone deserves a special note Uke this. We suggest you address a box of Valentine's cards to no one - if you don't have any friends - and hand them out at random to anyone who seems to be as bitter as you are.

Classically, Valentine's Day is for saps and suckers, swooning and smooching but who cares about stereotypes these days? Its so cool to be the individual these days - 1ght, all you hipsters? Because we live in the modern world, you should be able to transform Valentine's Day into whatever you want

We submit that you devote this Valentine's Day to showing yourself some love ~lurge a little. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes. Take an extra long shower. Go into a sugar coma. If you have someone to show you some love, well, good for you. We hope they remember.

To all the single ladies and gents please let go of your love grudges. In our minds, Valentine's Day was established to press the existence of love. This is wh your parents still feel the need to send ou a Valentine's Day card.

Continue reaching out to ASUSU officers

I have thoroughly enjoyed observing the recent debates over the proposed turf fields and new student recreation center that have filled The Statesman and various social media outlets.

New student-led coalitions and advertising campaigns, both for and against the proposal, popped up on campus. Both sides have shown they are passionate about their side of the argument. The ARC issue aside, what excites me most is the number of students who broke through general student apathy. How often do we complain about a school service or individual programs that seems to be lacking? Yet, all too often, we forget about the issue like we forget about the next Canvas notification reminding us of an impending paper deadline. I'm not really blaming anyone. Let's face it, a lot of the time college life is a giant balancing act that seems like it is going to come crashing down at any minute. It's so easy to get caught up in the next homework assignment. It's easy to be satisfied with the status quo or, at least, grudgingly live with it. Luckily, when the ARC proposal threatened to affect our wallets, people wanted to speak up, which only See ASUSU, Page 11

Risking health for nuclear power?

AColumn Divided

Nuclear power is a hot topic right with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of two new nuclear power plants in Georgia last week.

The significance of this cannot be understated. These will be the first nuclear power plants built in the U.S. since 1979, which saw the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, Pa. Predictably, many groups have vowed to file suit, blocking their construction.

With the memory of last year's horrendous tsunami in Japan and the accompanying crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant still fresh, not to mention the near meltdown in Ohio in 2002 or Chernobyl in 1986 - the worst nuclear disaster in history - it is understandable that many are hesitant to support to nuclear power.

Truth be told, until writing this column, I never really sat down and considered the pros and cons of nuclear power, nor did I posses what I would consider any sort of informed opinion regarding the matter. I don't pretend to now, but I have done some reading on the topic.

I must acknowledge that every energy source we might use has pros and cons and entails tradeoffs. Then the question I must ask is whether the pros outweigh the cons, and which trade-offs we prefer.

To its credit, nuclear energy does not emit greenhouse gases, making it an attractive solution to combat global climate change. However, it does emit radiation, but from what I can gather, this amount is minuscule compared to the amount of radiation we are routinely exposed to. Furthermore, nuclear power

See LEFT, Page 11

Differential tuition not for loans

To the editor:

I commend The Statesman for capturing the benefits that come to business school students through differential tuition. The student feedback was especially meaningful.

However, there are some errors in the article regardmg The Small Enterprise and Development (SEED) program that need to be c-0rrected.

In the article, it states, "The SEED program is largely funded by differential tuition The actual structure of the program, like director David Herrmann's salary, is completely funded by tuition. The program provides micro-loans to people in Third World countries who have entrepreneurial ideas."

The article implies that differential tuition funds the loans extended to small

enterprises in Third World countries. That is not the case. No differential tuition money is used to provide loans. All loan monies come from funds donated specifically for that purpose.

It is true that the non-salary administrative expenses of the SEED program are largely funded by differential tuition. However, Dave Herrmann's salary is only partially paid from differential tuition monies.

Ken Snyder

Some police baiting is OK

To the editor: First off, I am a fan of Liz's column. I appreciate you stirring the pot. I may not agree with everything you say, but I appreciate that someone is saying it. Now, about your police baiting column. Two things

The green movement prides itself in its support of clean, sustainable and independent energy. Given the progressive nature of this movement it strikes me as ironic that such energy has been around for nearly 80 years, but has yet to be embraced.

This past week the first 11ew U.S. nuclear power plants in a generation were approved for construction in Georgia. It's about time.

Nuclear energy is everything we could want in an energy sourceit's clean, sustainable and independent. While it's not as sexy to the green movement as other alternatives like wind -a complete waste of time - or solar, which has some potential, it does have one thing the other green energies don't. It functions at an efficient level.

Thanks to technological advancements, modern-day nuclear breeder reactors generate more fissile material than they consume. This means, at present costs nuclear breeder reactors can supply all the Earth's energy needs for five billion years.The approximate lifespan of the sun from this point is five billion years. With that kind of longevity, why bother with inefficient, fossil fuel dependent, energies like wind?

It is true that nuclear technology may pose dangers to both the environment and the population around reactors. While the scenario of a reactor going off like a nuclear bomb is fiction, meltdowns are possible and explosions that release radiation into surrounding areas can happen.

There have been three accideflts in the history of nuclear energy that create most of the fear prevalent today: Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the most recent Fukushima meltdown in Japan. While these See RIGHT, Page 11

Letters to the editor• A public forum

crossed my mind that were not addressed at all. The first being the use of similar tactics in law enforcement to catch sexual offenders, especially those who would harm chil· dren. The second is financial fraud. I see nothing wrong with police doing whatever they need to, even if it is a little sketchy, to catch sex offenders before they have a chance to harm more victims. I believe catching such people is in the best interest of the community and fulfills the charge that law enforcement has to protect and serve.

Utah is marked by the FBI as one of the

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FROM THE LEFT, Page 10 plants are mandated to have numerous safety systems in place to prevent meltdowns. But as we have seen, when a leak does occur the disaster is followed by evacuations. Those closest to the site fall victim to sickness and death - which may not occur until years later and may not be properly attributed to the radiation.

This is not to say coal-burning is by any means harmless. According to the World Health Organization, pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels accounts for about 1d million respiratory-system problems - not to mention costs to the entire planet incurred by a changing climate.

The real problem with nuclear power in my mind seems to be storing the spent nuclear materials. An average power plant produces up to 2,000 tons of nuclear waste per year. Uranium, which is mined from the ground, can be used for a period of time in energy production, but must eventually be contained so no one is exposed to it.

It takes many thousands of years for spent nuclear material to lose its radioactivity. Compounding the situation, the U.S.currently does not have a permanent nuclear storage site. With more than 50,000 tons of nuclear waste currently needing a home, making more seems highly problematic.

FROM THE RIGHT, Page 10

were all terrible accidents in their own right, they can all be attributed to human error more than the intrinsic dangers of nuclear energy.

In Fukushima an earthquake and a tsunami simultaneously hit the reactor. The subsequent meltdowns and explosions, however, were primarily due to lax regulations and a poor response. In other words, when properly handled, a nuclear reactor is so safe that it can be simultaneously hit by two of the worst natural disasters possible and still result in minimal to no damage.

When building reactors, we should take care to select safe locations. There should be stringent safety precautions and clear plans of action for worse case scenarios. If these steps are taken, however, there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't take advantage of this clean, safe and remarkably efficient energy.

As of now, the primary obstacles to nuclear energy are our own irrational fears and serious legislative barriers. Because of legislation, there is currently no way for nuclear plants to dispose of what little waste they create, resulting in a build up at the plants themselves. Additionally, there are nonsensical laws in place that prevent nuclear reactors from recycling their fissile material; a risk-free process that would result in even more energy and even less waste. Breeder reactors run into a whole new set of legislative problems. Because they produce weapons-grade plutonium in the process of creating energy, these reactors pose a serious national security risk if not properly monitored. Rather than actively trying lo solve the problem by implementing security regulations, we choose to hide behind our fears and not use the technologies at hand. Regardless of the safeguards we put in place to prevent an accident, I am well aware of human folly and potential for error. I want to like nuclear power. It has great potential, but the issue remains unsettled while many questions remain to be answered.

-Andrew Izatt is a sophomore majoring in economics and philosophy. Comments can be sent to him at andrew.izatt@aggiemail.usu.edu.

I remain optimistic about our energy future, because I know the solution is already in front of us. There will come a day when we are forced to embrace nuclear energy because of the rising price of fossil fuels - but why wait? There is no reason why we shouldn't embrace safe, clean, sustainable energy today.

- Mike Burnham is a junior majoring m international relations and economics. Comments can be sent to him at mike.burnham@gmail.com.

See LETTERS, Page 10 - and we will have a hard time gathering evidence against you - or you can continue and we will have evidence that you had the intent to deceive."

Five minutes later, an agent calls him up pretending to be a dtizen interested in the scheme. The person committing fraud tells him exactly how it works, and the FBI has the evidence they need to get the person who would otherwise continue to swindle investors out of their savings. I really heard about this from an FBI agent who spoke on campus a few weeks ago. A few days later, there was an article in The Herald Journal addressing the same issue, citing the same agent who spoke on campus. I don't understand your logic in your second-to-the last paragraph. For every bait car that the police put out that works, they catch someone who would be stealing other cars. Average people don't steal cars.

And finally, come on, police put up billboards and run campaigns telling people "Don't buy alcohol for kids. We are going to be out there baiting you, and we will prosecute to the full extent of the law."

I think the teens involved, the ones used for bait, are just as likely to come to the conclusion that they will never buy alcohol for underage drinkers and learn a lesson in social

FROM ASUSU, Page 10 led to more discussion and, ultimately, I hope it leads to the best solution for our school.

My plea is this, when you see something that needs fixing, don't be satisfied with thinking, "Oh well, I'll just have to live with it," and moving on.

I know few of us have time to champion our own crusade for change, and that is exactly why there are designated people at USU to do that for you. During my time as an ASUSU • leader working with university and individual college administrations, I am surprised over and over by how many people are willing and ready to look at things from a new angle, or promptly address student concerns.

Both student leaders and faculty really do want to create the best USU experience possible, but it takes feedback from all of us. One of the big disappointments during my tenure has been how few students come to see me with ideas, suggestions or complaints.

Many TSC employees stand at the ready to refine the system, but we can't make the changes you want. You don't have to start an entire campus movement yourself to have your voice be heard. All you have to do is get the message to the right people.

- Riley Bradshaw is senator for the

of

responsibility, as they are to come to the conclusion that you mentioned about thinking it is OK to break the law when the police say so. Ultimately, when you break the law, you need to recognize that and accept there could be consequences. I ride my bike everywhere I go. I would consider myself a pretty avid commuter. Just about every day I go down the boulevard past a stop sign that I always blow and think about what would happen if I got caught. It is a stop sign right out in the open, just past the church out in the middle of the road where it is a one-way street on the south side. A cop on patrol could see it from a bunch of different locations if he was staking out. If I were to be pulled over, I could argue that my line of site is more than sufficient to continue through the stop sign without stopping and that the co~houlcf he doing otber things. But I know he has the right to stop me.

As a cyclist, I am always saying I need to act like a car and demand to be treated as one. I say that, then I run stop signs on empty streets or ride on the sidewalk. I would never blow that stop sign in a car if I were driving the same route.

Well, thanks for letting me rant. If you made it this far I am impressed. Keep up the good work, Liz. Reagan Shaw

•

•) From Page 7 From Page 7

Brown fights off headache to win

nearly every statistical category, played through a nearly debilitating migraine to finish with seven points and 10 rebounds.

"She was suffering a severe migraine right before the game where she couldn't even really see," Pebley said. "We didn't think she was going to play, and it was a game-time decision."

Pebley said she let Brov. n choose five minutes before tipoff if she could play.

"We subbed her in and out a lot to see how she would do," Pebley said. "I loved how she really dug deep, and her teammates were there to back her up. To be in a game where there's whistles and screaming and the lights - that's tremendous."

USU held a 27-18 lead at halftime, and the northern Aggies used a 12-5 run to gain their largest lead of the gamt at 39-23 four minutes into the half. New Mexico State junior guard Camila Rosen cut the lead 40-33 with a 3-pointer with 12 minutes remaining in the game. USU built its lead back up to double digits in the final minutes and led by at least nine the remainder of the game. - ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu

Weber State can't handle USU attack, loses by four goals in Ogden

the puck in the net." The Aggies looked to be back on track when USU defenseman Sean Erwin beat the Weber State goalie on his glove side. Then, 30 seconds later, the wildcats scored, as Mullane let the puck slip between the post and his leg pad, tying the game up. A goalie interference penalty put the Aggies on the power play and gave them a 3-2 lead when Jeremy Martin scored.

Aggies opened up a lead with two more goals, but Weber State got right back in it with two more goals to close out the period. The Aggies led 5-4 after 40 minutes of play.

"We let them in the game there at the start and let them

get back in it a couple times," Basson said. ''I think, once we settled down and got a couple goals ahead, we pulled it out."

Basson said the Aggies came out of the locker room after the second intermission looking like a new team.

"That third period was so much better," Eccles said. "We had so much more intensity and heart in going for every MEN'S TENNIS puck."

Utah State battled hard, and it paid off when utility player Jeff Sanders got a goal early on, and the Aggie defense allowed one Weber State goal in the third. Basson created a lot of opportunities for Utah State down low, battling in the corners all night. "Bass always gives 100

Aggies win doubles, second match Of season

BY MEGAN BODILY staff writer

The Utah State men's tennis team sent the Mesa State College Mavericks limping back home after defeating them 6-1 in just under three hours Saturday. In less than 34 minutes, USU swept doubles and closed out the Mavericks for the opening point.

"I love how we came out in doubles. This is our third doubles match point in a row, and we played strong," assistant coach Bryan Marchant said.

Delivering the first loss to Mesa, the No. 1 doubles pairing of Junior Sven Poslusny and freshman Marcus Fritz defeated Brason Hollabraugh and Andres Hernadez.

The Aggie duo relentlessly attacked the net and kept momentum high, eventually taking the match 8-1. No. 2 doubles freshman Matt Sweet and senior Nate Ballam dismissed Forrest Kennel and Jordan Lyden in similar fashion. Sweet's and Ballam's soft touch and tactful angles split the Mavericks for easy open-court winners, taking the match 8-3.

Brothers Andrew and Lenny Whiting held down the No. 3 doubles spot against John Hendrickson and Sterling Inoyue, bageling their opponents 8-0.

After securing the doubles point, the Aggies moved on to singles action.

No. 1 singles player Poslusny's pounding serves reverberated throughout

THURSDAY NIGHTS 9PM-MIDNIGHT

the Sports Academy courts each time the German native swung his racket at the baseline. Mesa State's Hollabraugh had no answer to the junior's strong serves and penetrating forehands, as Poslusny took the match 6-2, 6-1 in less than 40 minutes.

"Poslusny definitely likes to go for shots and likes to be the aggressor," Marchant said. "When his first serve is working, the rest just falls into place."

No. 2 singles player Fritz dominated the first set against Hernadez but struggled in the second. Pulling his game together, the Swedish freshman finished off his opponent 6-1, 6-3.

Aggie Fredrick Peterson returned to action after missing two matches with the flu, playing against Mesa State's Hendrickson in the No. 4 singles spot and won 6-1, 6-2.

Lenny Whiting played MSC's Inoyue in the No. 5 singles position. Handling the Maverick easily, Whiting won the match 6-0, 6-1. Ballam served and volleyed his way to victory in the No. 6 spot. Head Coach Christian Wright said Balla continued to be patient and keep his focus after failing to convert three match points against MSC's Kennel.

"Ballam' always competes so hard and has a good attitude on the court," Wright said. "He did a good job closing it out in the end."

Ballam went on to win 6-1, 6-1.

The Aggies lone loss came from freshman Sweet, as he slugged it out against Mesa State's crafty left-handed player Lyden in the No. 3 singles position. The two traded heavy shots, but neither secured dominance in the match. Marchant said the players were equally matched.

"It was a pretty neck-andneck match," Marchant said. "There were a lot oflong points."

With Mesa State serving down 5-6 but up in the game score, Lyden's second serve clipped the net cord and trickled down onto Sweet's side, leveling the game at 6-all and forcing a tie breaker.

"It was tough for Sweet," Marchant said.

GOCHNOUR photo

Sweet refocused to take the tiebreaker but failed to continue the momentum, losing the second set 6-2 and requiring a super tie breaker to decide the match. Sweet won the first two points, but Lyden refused to back down. The opponents traded shot for shot until the score was 4-all, but Lyden · clinched eight straight points. Lyden won the super tie breaker 10-4 and the match 6-7, 6-2, 10-4. The win brings USU to 2-4 on the season. The Aggies will host Weber State University Feb. 22 at noon at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club in Logan. - mega.bodi@aggiemail.usu. edu

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