Morrill Act, which will turn 150 in July, established the landgrant program, which would give federally controlled land to states for the development of low-cost universities.
"In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law, and the lives of people in America changed forever," said Mary Sias, the president of Kentucky State University and Founders Day's featured guest. "The act was really about access." wasn't
At the time of the Morrill Act,
Election winners explain next step
BY JULIA STOCK staff writer
Although elections week is over, the work for the recently elected ASUSU officials isn' t. They now must become acquainted with their duties and the people that they will be working with this next year. For Christian Thrapp, recently elected ASUSU president, that means working alongside the current president, Erik Mikkebon, attending several meetings so the people who will be working with him can get to know him and they can address important issues for the 2012-13 school year.
"They basically just threw me into the fire," Thrapp said. "The day after I was elected, I had a meeting about the ARC with the vice president of Student Services. Then I had a meeting with the Board of Trustees and that night I had the opportunity to go to the Fou?,der's Day Celebration. I learned a lot that day.
-Since the Aggie Recreation Center proposal was approved by a 134 -vote margin, planning for the center has become a part of Thrapp's duties for next year.
Thrapp said his duties on various committees will include ensuring students provide input on the ARC, as well as soliciting private donations to help pay for the building.
In the upcoming weeks the biggest thing he has to do is to appoint the Public Relations Director and the Administrative Assistant, Thrapp said.
Jordan Hunt, the new Academic Senate president, said he will be working with Thrapp to interview candidates and fill the
ADAM VAIL AND CHRISTIAN THRAPP participate in theASUSU primary debates Feb. 28. Thrapp was elected as the 2012-13 student body president. Though he did not win the presidency this year.Vail said he plans to run again next February. DEi.AYN£ LOCKE photo positions. said, "so I haven't done anything. We've Hunt said since he's only been elected as organized training, interviews for appointed Academic Senate president and hasn't been positions and other administrative tasks." : inaugurated yet, he hasn't done very much as All of the recently elected officials will be an officer. •
"Inauguration happens in April," Hunt ASUSU, Page 3
NASA reaches out to future scientists
BY MARISSA SHIELDS staff writer
Kids from Cache Valley middle schools built catapults, viewed meteorites through telescopes and ran through the snow Saturday parading their model comets at NASA Space Science Day. The event, hosted by NASA and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, was held in the Engineering Building.
Susan Lederer, a scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the event's keynote speaker, said she enjoyed speaking at the event and liked working with the Hispanic engineering society's USU chapter.
"I love that they're getting kids excited about science," Lederer said.
For Space Science Day, college students and scientists invited children from fifth through eighth grades to get involved in science through an array of educational workshops. One exhibit displayed extraterrestrial samples collected on NASA missions.
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers hosted the event to promote science, technology, engineering and math(STEM) education to young students, said Indhira Has bun, president of SHPE's USU chapter. "The main goal is to teach them the fun
side of STEM while they're young, so that later on they'll say, 'Oh, yes, I learned about this back at the NASA Space Science Day. I want to do that, and I want to become an engineer. I want to become a scientist,"' Hasbun said. "Our society will be in great
need of students that major in science, technology, engineering and math in the future - even right now." • Lederer's keynote speech was about the :: different planets in the solar system and •
Nonprofit raises money for outdoor activities
BY ARIANNA REES staffwnter
Common Ground is a local organization that aims to provide outdoor recreational opportunities of all kinds for persons with disabilities.
"Someone that has a dis-
Common Ground's· first-ever March for Snow Benefit offered visitors fire pits with s'mores, catering by Cafe Sabor and a live band. The nonprofit organization held the benefit at its office Saturday night USU students were there as volunteers to help with the event.
ability might not otherwise be able to go out and ski all day, but with Common Ground, their adaptive equipment, it makes that possible," said Kaitlin Eyre, a Common Ground volunteer and a senior majoring in Recreation Resource Management at USU.
Founded in 1993, the program is supported through grants, individual donations, program fees, and fundraisers similar to the March for Snow Benefit. Jami Dickerson, Common Ground special events coordinator, said March for Snow was a celebration as
well as a benefit. "Our ski program this year has done awesome," Dickerson said. "There have been a lot of people really enjoying it, and so I think this (benefit) is kind of just to celebrate winter here in Cache Valley. It's fun to go out and have some live music and food if it's for a good cause."
Dickerson said all earnings from March for Snow will pay for the repair and purchasing of new winter recreational equipment for persons with disabilities.
For $15-20, participants could eat and hear local band Wasatch Back play requests by audience members, and for $1, participants could enter their names into a raffle for prizes donated by businesses in the community.
Eyre said she has been volunteering with Common Ground for a semester.
"As a volunteer, we try to help staff events like this one. They need people to sell raffle tickets and help educate other people about what Common Ground is," Eyre said. Some activities offered to Common Ground participants include cycling, trips to national parks, alpine skiing, river rafting and rock climbing. All of the organization's activities are made possible for the
disabled through the use of adapted and specialized equipment, paid for in large part by donations.
Eyre said she has loved every minute of her time volunteering at Common Ground.
"Since my major is recreation, I really wanted to try to do something outside," she said. "When I heard about Common Ground, I was like, 'That's a perfect fit!' It's right up my alley in terms of things I'm good at doing."
The things Eyre has done include manning a booth at the Banff Film Festival, updating Common Ground's blog and using her Beaver Mountain season pass to act as a bulldogger most Saturdays, skiing in front of people to keep them safe, she said.
Quinn Larson, a junior majoring in environmental studies at USU, also volunteers for Common Ground, and has done so for three months. He said he and Eyre act as representatives to the College of Natural Resources in an attempt to get more people in their college volunteering, and Common Ground is willing to take more volunteers.
"They're really excited to have anyone, especially students," he said.
See COMMON, Page 3
·USU comprehensive campaign projected to reach $400 million mark lion stopped at the eighth grade if you were black.
When she went on to receive a higher educatio~, she didn't realize she was breaking racial boundaries, she said.
"I think if I had been told I had a 6-10 percent chance of graduating, that might have made a difference. But my parents said, 'You're going to college,"' Sias said.
Sias earned good grades in college and applied for graduate school, she said.
"I sent out what seems like 50 applications to graduate schools," Sias said. "Guess which were the ones I heard from? Michigan, MIT, the University of Wisconsin at Madison - all landgrant institutions."
Sias obtained a fellowship to pay for her continued education and was accepted to the sociology program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At the school, she learned what a land-grant institution does as she saw doctors working in low-income neighborhoods, engineers designing roads and bridges and sociologists formulating policies to help rural towns and communities participate in elections, Sias said.
Through the land-grant school, Sias had opportunities she might not have had otherwise, she said. She published research worked with prgminent scientists and spent a year in India and Nepal, she said.
"I learned to speak Hindi fluently," Sias said. "I understood what it meant to be someone who was in another country, listening to someone who didn't understand that you understood what they were saying when they talked about you."
Sias said these experiences have made an impact on those she loves.
"My life changed, and the life of my family and my child changed because of a land-grant institution," she said. "The breadth of the impact has not only affected me, but everyone whose life I have touched.
As president of Kentucky State, another landgrant university, Sias said she has seen the effects of the Morrill Act touch the lives of her students.
Ron Jibson, CEO of Questar Corporation and Chair of the USU Board of Trustees was in attendance and said the Morrill Act has im acted
many people he has known.
"It provided, back in the early days, that opportunity for students to go to school that normally wouldn't have had that opportunity," Jibson said. "My father was an example - he grew up on a farm in Idaho, came to Utah State in 1932 or so and graduated in Engineering. Without land-grant universities, that wouldn't have been possible for him and many others."
A display of historic photos and documents, a speech by USU President Stan Albrecht and the debut performance of the 2012 Out of the Blue song and dance ensemble were also featured at the event.
Albrecht spoke on the growth of the university through the global economic crisis. Albrecht said a good deal of this growth is thanks to the Campaign for Utah State University, a fundraising effort that was announced at Founders Day 2007.
The comprehensive campaign is projected to have brought more than $400 million to USU by fall of this year, he said.
Some of the highlights of the campaign include providing 200 new scholarship endowments for students and 23 new buildings in Logan and regional campuses, Albrecht said.
"All of these things have made a very good university an even better one," Albrecht said. "You are the reason, those of you sitting here tonight, and others like you, that we have succeeded beyond our greatest hopes."
Out of the Blue member Garret Steed said performing for a crowd of many of the most important people at the university made him nervous at first.
"I think beforehand, we're just hoping and praying that we don't screw up," Steed said. "But as soon as you get onstage, you look out - these are all people that love Utah State University, and we love Utah State and it makes it a lot easier that we have something in common. The nerves just kind of go away, and it's a lot of fun, a lot of excitement."
- steve.kent@aggiemail.usu.edu
FOUNDERS DAY 2012 FEATURED an in-depth display of USU's history. The event celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, the piece of legislation that established the land-grant system of higher education, which granted federal land to states to fund lowcost universities to teach practical skills like engineering and agriculture as well as liberal arts. Below, snow sculptures line the Quad for Winter Carnival, 1954. Photo courtesy ofJeff Lyon
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THE MARCH FOR SNOW BENEFIT for
From Page 2
Common Ground offers students a place to volunteer
Dickerson said with four staff members, Common Ground relies heavily on volunteer work.
"Volunteers are our lifeline. We really rely on the community and Utah State community to come and volunteer and help us with the activities," she said.
Eyre said Common Ground works very well with student schedules, and if more volunteers are available, more participants can benefit from the organization's services.
"I think this organization is a perfect one to get involved with because a lot of students already go out into the canyon and go snowshoeing, or they already go out and hike, or they already go out and ski," Eyre said. "Why not go out and do those things and not just have fun, but also have the chance to help people?" she said.
Eyre said volunteering is as simple
as going online and looking at Common Ground's events calendar as well as signing up to receive volunteer emails with schedules and sign up sheets for different activities that occur throughout the year.
activities Common Ground hosts for persons with disabilities are invaluable and exciting to help with.
"Just because you might not have a traditional skill set like everyone else has, I don't think that should be a limitation," Larson said. 'Tm really glad that there's an organization like this that lets people get outside and get active and enjoy the great outdoors."
One event Common Ground holds is an online, golf-themed fund drive in May where donors get a chance to win golf equipment. The organization also holds a "Reach for the Stars" gala and silent auction in the fall, Dickerson said.
For St. Patrick's Day, there will be a free hour of ice skating for the public hosted by Common Ground and other sponsors.
Eyre said serving others through Common Ground is a confidence booster.
"It's great to see people light up when they actually accomplish something that they didn't think they'd be able to do otherwise," she said.
Larson and Eyre agreed that the - ariwrees@gmail.com
A lesson in self reliance R
•)From Page 1
which planets .are more hospitable than others,. Lederer said she speaks to cpildren three to five times a year as part of NASA's effort to generate more interest in STEM education among stude~
''That's maybe a little bit more than average (for NASA scientists), because I was a professor at a university;' Lederer said. "I guess it's a little bit easier to pull together a presentation and give a talk."
Lederer said she was glad to find a way to share the benefits of her training, education and experience with future scientists and engineers.
"When I was young, we really didn't have any events like this. I really didn't have anything other than just reading newspapers to get excited about science," she said "But you see the reaction of the kids, and they want to answer the questions, and they're into it, and they're excited about science," Charles Galindo, a semor scientist at NASA and the founder of Space Science Day, said events like this are designed to help ensure NASA will have qualified candidates to recruit in the future.
"What we' re seeing is a lot of students aren't getting into the STEM careers, so we can't fill the positions we have. So what we're having to do now is go outside to Asian (countries) or other eommunities that have students with Ph.D. and bringing them instead of using actually our own students here in the U.S."
His favorite part of his job is working with students and traveling, he said.
Scott Meeker, a seventh -grade teacher at Spring Creek Middle School, said he thought the event was beneficial to the children.
"It's a lot of good information, especially for the sixth-grade students, because they spend a lot of time studying space and the planets," Meeker said.
Meeker said he wished the event had been more publicized at Spring Creek.
"We only had a few students that came," Meeker said. "I wish we had more students here."
Students from SHPE and Sky View High School helped run the event.
"It 's a way to get everyone involved," Hasbun said. "Kids come to the event. Then high school students and college students can come in and mentor and help with the event. It's a way to get everyone involved from all grades."
Three campus groups specializing in physics brought demonstrations to the event: the Getaway Special Team, the Society of Physics Students and the Chimeara rocket team.
John Fleshman, a member of the Chimeara team, said the demonstrations could show students what science and engineering have to offer.
"A lot of times when you look at equations, or a
PHIL LUNDGREEN, A SOPHOMORE studying physics, demonstrates electromagnetism at NASA Space Science Day on Saturday CODY GOCHNOUR photo bunch of science-y things, they kind of get s cared, but when they see something practical, like a rocket, they get excited," Fleshman said. "That is our goal, to get kids excited about science, math, engineering, technological-type things, so once they get to college they're not scared to enter the (STEM) fields."
Chimeara is a team in the NASA University Student Launch Initiative, a competition among universities. USU's team has won the competition for the past three years, Fleshman said.
This is the third year of the NASA Space Science Day program on a national level, Gallindo said The program, designed to generate student interest in STEM education, has expanded. The first year NASA chose three schools to host the event, the next year it had five schools, and this year NASA is taking the event to eight schools across the country, he said. Last year was the first year the USU chapter of SHPE hosted the event, and the organization has plans to continue hosting it in subsequent years for the children of Cache Valley, Hasbun said.
"I want to make a call to everyone out thereall the parents, all the teachers - to motivate their kids into going to these types of activities. This is our help to the community, this is what we want to leave as a legacy," Hasbun said. "When I leave Logan, when I leave USU, I want to be able to say, ' Hey, I touched this kid's life,' and it's because of my help and our involvement and our commitment to this association that we were able to get this many kids motivated."
- marissa.shields@aggiemail.usu.edu
• From Page 1
working closely with the current ASUSU Executive Council to learn about their duties firsthand.
Ben Wilson, who was elected Executive vice president, said he will be "shadowing" Kirsten Frank and attending some of her meetings with her The main meeting is the Executive Council meeting, which happens every Tuesday 8-10 p.m. on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center with the entire council, which, until inauguration day, will include the present and future council members.
Christian Orr, recently elected as Student Advocate, will be doing the same.
"During the next few weeks I will be mentored by Jason Russell, the current Student Advocate, to learn all sides of this position," Orr said. "I look forward to working with the new executive board and feel supported by the current one."
Orr has begun making other preparations as well.
"I have been involved with the Student Fee Board this year. I have begun to prepare some resources that will help students understand where their fees go. I have also been in contact with a few offices of college deans to dialogue reorganization of the ombudsmen system," Orr said.
Karson Kalian, recently elected Athletics vice president, will do things in addition to shadowing Ryan Baylis, current Athletics vice president.
"Since being elected, I have had to start planning out some committees which need forming and what to do with each one," Kalian said. "The Athletics and Campus Rec committee, also known as the Hurd committee, and, with the passing of the ARC, the planning of a student policy board to set the policies for the ARC."
"There is also the design for the game day shirt that needs to be taken care of, as well as plans for the spring football game on April 28," Kalian said.
Candidates who ran and did not win this year are making other plans.
Adam Vail, one of the ASUSU president hopefuls, said he plans on running again next year.
"That doesn't mean that I stop because something I tried didn't pan out the way that I thought that it would," Vail said.
"There's other opportunities available, other avenues to explore between now and then and if this time next year, there's nothing that has leaned me in another direction I would anticipate running again and seeing what's in store."
Vail said he was optimistic about his chances of winning.
"I was very confident. But you know, sometimes things happen that cause you to reevaluate and just maybe focus a little more on your current situation," Vail said.
The day after the election results were announced, Thrapp said he didn't feel like it was real yet.
"I don't think it has actually hit me completely yet," Thrapp said.
Of his reaction to the elections, Hunt said, "It's a huge relief now that elections are over, but it's a little daunting to think about the work before me."
Orr said he is preparing to address student concerns.
"As the new officers prepare," Orr said, "I hope that students take their concerns seriously enough that they are prepared to take part in creating improvements. The Associated Students of Utah State University is more than an Executive Board and Academic Senate. As students, we're all in this together."
- juliann13stock@aggiemail.usu.edu
Campus & Community
JCOM seeks locals affected by Iraq War
The department of journalism and communication, in partnership with the department of military · science, will host "Out oflraq" -a • look at the effects of the Iraq War on the local and global communityMarch 19 the nine-year anniversary of the beginning of combat opera-~ tions in Iraq. Organizers are seeki students, staff, faculty and comm~ nity members who were impacted by the war to join an introspective•., moderated discussion starting at 1:. p.m. in the TSC Auditorium. At 6 ,."' p.m. in the same location, a panel experts on military, national intelligence and Middle East politics will discuss how the war has shap the world and what its legacy will ! be. To volunteer for the panel or fo more information, contact Matthe D. LaPlante, assistant professor of!.,. journalism, at matthew.laplante@ usu.edu.
USU statistician; publishes work :
For scientists involved in statisU cal analysis, it's all about distribt?,. tion. And the normal distributio~ with its symmetrical bell curve, in: not a global truth, said USU stati. tician Susan Durham.
"Data from research - especially agricultural and natural resources research - is not always normally distributed," said Durham, a statistical consultant in the USU Ecology Center. "Software • to help researchers analyze these kinds of data , particularly in complex designs, has only been around for a few years." Durham is among a multistate group of authors who have recently published a guide to help researchers navigate modern statistical methods pertaining to the design and analysis of mixed models for non-normally distributed data.
"Analysis of Generalized Linear Mixed Models in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences " by Edward Gbur, Walter Stroup, Kevin Mccarter, Durham, Linda Young, Mary Christman, Mark West and Matthew Kramer, provides researchers using SAS statistical software with practical examples for field trial applications.
"The theory of these generalized linear mixed models is still ahead of our understanding of how to actually do the modeling so preparing this book was a fabulous learning experience for all of us," : Durham said.
Clarinetist plays tribute to swing
·
The principal clarinetist for the Utah Symphony Orchestra is featured in concert at USU as part of the Utah Clarinet Festival.
Tad Calcara is featured in "Don't Be That Way: A Tribute to the Clarinet Kings of Swing," in an • • afternoon event Saturday at 4 p.m. in USU's Performance Hall.
"We are fortunate to host this event at Utah State University and • have Tad Calcara, principal clarinet for the Utah Symphony, be one of the headline recitalists," said Nicholas Morrison, USU clarinet professor and host of the Utah Clarinet Festival. The concert will include both a performance and a discussion between Calcara and the audience about the importance of the clarinet in popular music and culture during the 1930s and '40s.
"This music is lively, progressive, youthful and exciting " Calcara said. "I will be performing alongside the Larry Smith Jazz Kicks Band from copies of actual 75- and 80-year-old manuscripts that Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Duke Ellington usea during the Swing and Big Band eras."
The policy of The Utah Statesman is:• to correct any error made as soon as! possible. If you find something you :! would like clarified or find in error, :: please contact
ATTENDEES ROAST S'MORES AT THE March for Snow Benefit for Common Ground on Saturday. DELAYNE LOCKE photo
·Utah State University• Logan, Utah• www.utahstatesman.com
·
Erik Mikkelsen
passes the torch to Christian Thrapp On campus from morning to night Hoping to run a
BY VICTORIA HEPWORTH staff writer
Erik Mikkelsen said he wanted to be the -student body president two years before he was -elected. Eventually, he accomplished his goal. As his term in office nears its end, Mikkelsen reflected on the past year at USU. He was .always determined and wanted to help out the students however he could, he said. He gave much of the credit for his accomplishments to his officers, advisers, friends and family.
"I believe that we've had the best ASUSU council in history," he said. "I think the advisers this year were the best, and we were an unbelievable team. I just hope that next year's council will be even better."
• At the beginning of the school year, the ,c;tudent council had a goal to get the students ~nvolved as much as possible, Mikkelsen said.
"This was harder than we thought," said Kirsten Frank, who was the executive vice president of ASUSU. Frank is studying law and constitutional studies. She started supporting :Mikkelsen during the campaign when she got to know him. She worked closely with 1v1ikkelsen throughout the year, and Mikkelsen tave her a lot of credit and said he couldn't have -done it without her.
"He's very good at talking to students and figuring out their niche, especially freshmen and transfer students," Frank said. "There are .only so many organizations, and a capacity to the amount ofleadership positions available, ~nd he was very good at placing students in a position that they would excel in. He's also very -humble. He admits when he makes mistakes end learns from them. It's been humbling for rue to watch him."
• "One of the things I love to do is to talk with ,,tudents about how to make the most of their experience here," Mikkelsen said. "People will tome to me with any problems or concerns -they have. I also love meeting new people and ~alking to them about what their strength is so that I can help them become more involved."
Mikkelsen is a junior, majoring in busi.ness and communication studies. He is from Bunkerville, Nev., a small town outside of )iesquite. After attending USU for a year, -he served an LDS mission to Atlanta, Ga. He got back around two years ago, and has been attending USU.
• Being the student body president has many advantages. He said one of the good things about being president was
traveling to conferences and other things. On one of these occasions, he got to travel to Atlanta and revisit the place where he served his mission.
Mikkelsen said he supports the new recreation project that was first proposed by former president, Tyler Tolson. The Aggie Recreation Center is something that Mikkelsen worked on after Tolson left office.
"I believe that it will benefit the students, and I hope everyone votes yes on it," he said.
The new recreation center would include a field of turf, for which Mikkelsen got to travel to various places for free to see the turf at other locations.
Another bonus of being president, Mikkelsen said, was that he got a pass to park anywhere he wanted. He said he didn't use this very often, because he lives right next to campus in the Sigma Phi Epsilon house. He said that living so close to campus was very convenient.
His parents said they are proud of him. They are supportive and come up to Logan as often as they can to help him out. They came up during his campaign week to assist him in that endeavor. The drive from Bunkerville is a long one, but his parents know how important being the president was for him.
Another asset he had was being a Sigma Phi Epsilon. His fraternity brothers helped him campaign and support him a lot. He lived close to campus, had lots of friends and was encouraged to have good grades by being in the fraternity. His brother, Daniel Mikkelsen, is also a Sigma Phi Epsilon currently serving an LDS mission in Mexico. He was also supportive of Erik Mikkelsen during his campaign, Erik Mikkelsen said.
"My fraternity brothers really helped me to get elected," he said. "Being Greek helped me accomplish so much more I really appreciate their help. I don 't think I could have been elected without them."
Erik Mikkelsen said he was an avid dater, finding time between his presidential duties and homework to go on many dates. He does not date anyone exclusively, because he hasn't found her yet. He just dates lots of different girls.
"I am a dating machine," he said. "I have a date for tonight that I got by speed-dating about 20 minutes ago."
He was speed-dating for an activity that was held on campus. Mikkelsen has attended many events on campus and was asked to participate in many activities. He danced the ChaCha with dancer Sammie Krohn, in the Dancing with the USU Stars held Feb. 16.
"Since being elected, people assume I am an ~xpert on everything. I have been asked to be a judge for fashion shows, dances and musical shows," he said. "I got to do a lot of things, many for which I had no previous experience."
He also attended some football and basketball games. He sat in the front row of the basketball game once, waiting outside for hours to get the coveted spot. Being the president, he said he knows he could have had the front row without waiting, but he wouldn't do that to the students who did wait.
As president, he was in charge of many things and attended many meetings on top of his regular schoolwork- he was taking 17 credits. On an average day, he estimated he was on campus from about 8-9 a.m until about IO p.m. Mikkelsen had ' MIKKELSEN, Page 5
BY NADIAH JOHARI staff writer
During his freshman year, Christian Thrapp and his friends talked about sliding everything that had wheels down Old Main Hill. In fall 2008, someone left a shopping cart on the hill.
"I would not recommend this to anybody, but we fit five people onto the shopping cart, one inside the basket, two on each side, and two on the back, and we took that down Old Main Hill," said Thrapp, a junior majoring in international business. "We started going down this hill a lot faster than we expected, hit a hole on the ground, and we all just flipped over, like we flew down the hill."
This was one of the most memorable things the new ASUSU president said he had experienced at USU. Hailing from West Jordan, Thrapp was also the student body president and lacrosse team captain in high school. At USU, he served as an ambassador, Game Day chair and a member of the President's Cabinet.
Thrapp said he has been corning to USU since high school to visit his brother and sister who were studying at USU at that time
He said he decided he was going to come to USU after attending basketball games and learning about USU traditions, he said.
Thrapp said his biggest influence in running for ASUSU president is his sister, Ariel Defay. Defay was ASUSU executive vice president in 2004.
"She always encourages me to do my best and to go out there and risk something because you get a lot of reward out of it," he said.
Thrapp said when he was student body president in high school, his role was to unite the student government to obtain a goal. He said he wants to do the same for ASUSU.
He also said his experience as an ambassador will help him carry out his duties as ASUSU president because, like ambassadors, the ASUSU president has to relate to diverse groups of people. Thrapp said he will put his ambassador position on hold for a year, however.
Corey Mikkelsen, associate director of Recruitment, said he saw Thrapp working regularly with prospective students and described him as personable. The fact that Thrapp will be leaving the ambassador program for a year is bittersweet in a lot of ways, he said.
"He's one who will take a student and a parent by the hand and help them show what Utah State has to offer," he said. "We know this is an opportunity that he can't pass up, and we want him to continually be involved on campus to try to make it a better place."
Joey Burt, a sophomore majoring in economics, created the "Thrapp Rap" for Thrapp's campaign, which garnered more than 700 views on YouTU:be. Burt and ihrapp met and worked together for a month and a half while both serving LDS missions in Brazil. '
Burt said he remembered seeing Thrapp approach homeless people when they were on their missions.
"A lot of times people would not really want to talk to them, because they asked for money and often were addicted to drugs," he said. "Christian would just go up and talk to these homeless people and just get to know those people."
Eric Richardson, a junior majoring in psychology, said he has known Thrapp since elementary school. Richardson was the senior class president in high school when Thrapp was the student body president. He said Thrapp was punctual in everything when they were planning events in school.
"I felt kind of crappy, because I hadn't done half the things I should've done, and he
had already done everything he needed to," he said.
Luke Ensign, a sophomore majoring in political science, said he has known Thrapp for a year and a half and is currently his roommate. He said sometimes he does not know what Thrapp consumes, because he hardly sees him go grocery shopping.
"I've never seen him coming in the house with a bag of groceries, because he hates spending money," he said.
Thrapp's parents, Ruth and Ron Thrapp, were present for the final ASUSU announcement of the election winners. Ruth Thrapp said as parents she and Ron have always been supportive love being involved with their kids. She said she thinks the results have paid off.
Ron Thrapp said he helped his son juggle between his studies and other activities, like athletics, during high school by driving him around.
"He's like any kid. It's like, 'Go do your homework, I know you're tired, you just got done playing five hours of baseball, now go do your homework,' that kind of thing," Ron Thrapp said.
Blake Devries, an undeclared sophomore who is also one of Thrapp's campaign managers said Thrapp is innovative with his ideas.
"For example, he had the idea to have a car and shuttle people to their classes during the campaign week,'' he said. "It's such a small simple thing, but originally Chris thought of it, and we just took it to the next level as his campaign managers."
Thrapp said although he had doubts about running for ASUSU president, he recognized the benefits of taking risks. He also said one of the things that he picked up from past ASUSU presidents is to not be selfish.
"I've learned that one of the most important things that you can do is to be selfless because this position is not at all abollt me, it's all about the students,'' he said. "So that's biggest thing that I want to try to do is to to be as selfless as I possibly can."
- nadiah.johari@aggiemail.usu.edu
Social media proficiency is ajob necessity
BY ERIC JUNGBLUT staff writer
Last April, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity held a Western-themed dance party sponsored by ASUSU. Known as the Wild Wild West dance party, the premise involved party-goers dressed up as cowboys or Native Americans.
Travis Chambers, a senior at the time and one of the planners of the party, attended the event dressed as a Native American. Pictures of the party were later added to Facebook, one of which depicted Chambers in his party attire with his hand over his mouth.
Shortly after the party, Chambers received a job offer.
"There was a nonprofit that deals with troubled youth, and they were looking for a social media director," Chambers said. "They called Preston Parker who was over at the social media program and asked for his 1>est social media student, and so he ref~rred them to me."
The employer said they were impressed by Chambers, but that they had found the Facebook photo of the Wild Wild West party. Chambers did not get the job because of this picture.
'.'With the youth that the nonprofit worked with, they had a lot of Native American youth," Chambers said.
ewh hers say bout you."
-Charles Roberts, freshman
"They saw that picture, and for them it was really offensive. They felt that it was disrespectful to sacred Native American rituals."
As social networking continues to grow, employers are using Facebook and other popular social networking websites such as Twitter to determine if applicants are employable. Facebook profiles and other forms of social networking can tell an employer a lot about potential employees, according to a 2011 University of Maryland study.
The study shows that an applicant's Facebook profile can tell an employer everything about that applicant's personality within 10 percent accuracy of a standard personality test administered by the employer. Deleting a person's social networking profiles or not having any at all could stop employers from finding an employee's personal accounts, but freshman Charles Roberts, who doesn't have any social networking accounts, said this doesn't solve the problem.
"It's a double-edged sword," Roberts said. "Employers can't see what you do, but they can see what oth_, ,.,.about you."
Roberts said a simple Google search c;an provide employers with contextual information about employees or applicants, even if the applicant doesn't have social networking accounts.
Ch;\mbers said to just delete a Facebook account is a bad idea, because it might tell employers that an ap_plicant is not socially active.
"If an empl9yer looks for your ~,ou denlt have one, ang it's QJ.arl<eting or social media job, i,t;looks lilce you are not really very engaged in it," he said.
Aftet his photo incident, Chambers said he began thinking about how his Facebook profile represented him and took the time to turn it into something that a future employer would like. He kept most of the pictures that he had but he deleted or untagged himself from any that ~uestionable, including the one from the dance party.
However, Chambers said he kept photos that showed his personality so he wouldn't look boring. He also made sure to include a lot of photos with his family, because he got mar-
ried last August. "I realized that that would be really good for future employers to see," he said.
Cliambers said he took time to turn his social media platform into a tool for future employers.
"Above everything, the thing that was most useful was that I put a lot of time in on my Linkedln," he said. "I spent about 20 to 30 hours rewriting my job and past experience multiple times."
Linkedln is a social networking site that focuses on professional and business networking, where members can set up profiles about themselves to attract the attention of employers. According to Linkedln, USU has 2,881 employees using the site, as well as 4,289 alumni.
Chambers said he capitalized on his bad experience by fine-tuning what he posted online and was recently offered a job at a successful business in Logan after graduating in December. He said he understands completely why the non-profit was sensitive about his Facebook photo.
"Employers are all going to be a little sensitive," he said. "They are making a very important decision, and they are going to be really critical and really judgmental of anything they see."
Some USU students, however, do not feel that employers need to be sensitive when screening potential employees.
"It shouldn't come down to a picture," said freshman Maurice Saldivar. "If someone has the skillset to do the job and do it right, it shouldn't matter what they do in their private life."
Saldivar said the feeling is objective, however.
"If I was the one being interviewed, I wouldn't think that the employer has the right to look up my Face book," he said. "But if I was doing the interviewing, I would want to know who I'm hiring. Obviously, I don't want to hire a cocaine addict."
- ejjungblut@gmail.com
•> From Page 4
Mikkelsen balances responsibilities
row without waiting, but he wouldn't do that to the students who did wait. As president, he was in charge of many things and attended many meetings on top of his regular schoolwork - he was taking 17 credits. On an average day, he estimated he was on campus from about 8-9 a.m. until about 10 p.m. Mikkelsen had three main duties. He's acted as the voice of the students on behalf of USU students. "I think one of the best things Erik has been able to do is balance the responsibilities as president and to still be a huge support to the student body officers," Frank said. "He would talk with us about any struggles we were having, and he was very good at highlighting things we did well. He's very good at talking things through with us."
to Administration and has talked to Administration about what students want to see happen and how to get it done. He also said he oversees 26 communities and clubs. As the leader of ASUSU, Mikkelsen said he's been in charge of 22 officers and meets with them every other week to talk about what they're working on and what questions they have.
Mikkelsen said he wants to be a student regent next year, and in two years, he plans to graduate with a double major. After graduating, he wants to go to Harvard Business School. - victoria.hepworth@aggiemail.usu.edu
Powwow familiarizes community with historic traditions
BY NATASHA BODILY features assistant editor
Members of the USU Native American Student Council (NASC) held its 39th annual "Echoing Traditional Ways," with powwow dancers and drummers competing in the Nelson Fieldhouse.
Nathan Chee, a resident of Salt Lake City who said he is originally from Omaha, Neb., said he enjoyed the environment of the event. "I've been around it before, but I don't come here often. It draws me here because I grew up with this stuff from my mom and dad, but I'd always stayed away from it, so I decided to come check it out again.''
Dancers compete in various categories depending on age and gender. According to NASC's website, the drum groups are "the sacred heartbeat of the powwow, setting the rhythm of each dance."
The "Grand Entry," according to the site, is the first dance of each powwow, and the competition element was added to the powwow around 1920. The dancers are judged on dance skill, regalia, sportsmanship, and body and footwork.
Shirley Reeder, who has participated and helped run the event for many years, said the NASC is associated with USU and has always been run in the Fieldhouse.
"Everyone loves that floor," she said of the floor in the Fieldhouse. Of USU's powwow, she said, "It's been around quite a while.''
"This event being the first kickoff for the powwow season," Reeder said. "It's a really good turn out."
She said she and her husband originally lived in Oklahoma, but after they got their teaching degrees at USU, ended up staying in Logan. 'Tm elementary and
he's secondary," she said. "I teach sixth grade and he's a junior high physical education teacher."
She said there were people from Fort Duchesne, Wyo., Wind River Reservation, Fort Hall, Idaho, Salt Lake City and southern Utah who had come to attend.
"It's about our heritage," said Britny Hardy of Salt Lake City. Hardy and Chee, her boyfriend, sat in the eating area during a portion of USU's powwow event. Chee said he has been around events like the powwow his whole life but had often avoided it.
"I don't come here often, but I decided to check it out again."
Chee said his Mom and Dad raised him in the tradition.
Reeder said Cache Valley is a beautiful place, which makes it a great place to hold powwows.
She said she feels Logan is almost isolated.
"The serenity, the beauty. It's away from city life," she said.
"People here are more country living people. They're down-toearth people. Everybody loves it here because it's beautiful, peaceful."
She also said the weather is ideal and serene in Cache Valley. "Winter's are great. They are harsh, but they are great. And summers are awesome here.''
She said they had always heard about they beauty and serenity of Logan, and when they were accepted to USU, they were happy to be enrolled at a University in such a beautiful location. "We've raised our kids here and we all love it," Reeder said.
She said powwows make her happy and always touch her heart. "I almost cry because I see
Traditional Ways," in the Nelson Fieldhouse. Dancers competed during the event that brings a community together. MELODY SANCHEZ photo all the young kids coming in as teenagers. They choose to be here, the Native American teenagers," she said. "They could be out doing drugs or something, but they choose to be here."
Reeder said she has had some opportunities to speak for her community and culture. 'Tm always grateful, when I speak, I'm always grateful for their parents to take the time." She said beading an outfit is certainly not easy and making the outfits is not an easy task either, but she said she is dedicated, as well as the other participants.
"We raise all of our kids in the arena and we've taught them how to respect the arena and respect the elders," she said. "Dance for them. Don't dance for yourself. Don't dance for the money."
"I think they've grown that spirituality that people recognize," Reeder said people have recognized how beautiful her children are on the floor. "That's kind of like the soul of our powwow people," she said. "We
could see that they love this. My husband and I both try to teach them 'Don't do it for the money.' We tell them to 'Do it for your grandparents - dance for them, be proud of who you are.'" She said it can be difficult when the children become teenagers, "They say, 'I don't want to dance no more,"' but when they have the opportunity to see other kids their age, she said, "It brings them back." Reeder said the focus of the arena is to "only take good thoughts in there.''
"It all revolves around good energy and thoughts," she said. "It's powerful out there, very powerful. Even if (a non-Native American) goes out there, you just feel the energy and the drums tell it. It's like our heartbeat."
She said she is from Tiwa and her husband is from the Wichita tribe. "It's the heartbeat of our powwow, our soul."
- natashabodily@gmail.com
USU picks up four straight wins in Nevada
BY MEREDITH KINNEY
of the tourna- run in the second and then The Aggies
team went 4-0 this weekend ment for the Aggies, scoring another run in the fourth but three innings of
2-1 after
before the
before added another one to tie it up in Mesquite, Nevada. The three runs in the first inning. couldn't hold off the Aggies, opening up a 4-1 lead in at 2-2. Aggies beat Oregon, the The Aggies managed to as they picked up their second the fourth, scoring 2 runs. "Montana is a team that
I knew they would be
the weekend against the The Ducks scored three has a .524 batting average. "Our pitcher, Kyle Durrant, again this year." University of Montana. more times, but the Aggies. "For the weekend, Jake was outstandingly dominant," In the top of the seventh With this weekend in the advantage was enough to pick was
TYLER HUSKINSON
basket and kicking to other guys for shots. He had a really good game, probably one of his better games of the year."
USU maintained its lead through most of the first half until Hawaii forward Joston Thomas SENIOR FORWARD MORGAN GRIM powers to the basket against Idaho earlier in the season.
BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor
Road wins haven't come very often for the USU men's basketball this season, so finishing the roller-coaster season with a road sweep may be that much more impressive. "To end with a road sweep, it tells you our guys are still into it, still playing, trying hard and trying to win," USU head coach Stew Morrill said. "It's something I am just really proud of because we were down and out a few weeks ago. Some people had a us buried - we weren't going to win another game - and we go out and win three straight conference
'' it tells you our guys are still into it, still playing, trying hard "
- Stew KorrW, head coach 'D'S'D' men's basketball
games - two on the road. I'm really pleased with this group and with the seniors in particular. We found a way to finish the conference season 8-6."
During USU's home victory over Hawaii the Warriors out-rebounded the Aggies 48-28, but that was not the case Saturday night. "The one thing that shows you we are playing awfully hard and trying awfully hard is the boards tonight," Morrill said. "They had out-rebounded us by 20 in Logan, and we out-rebounded them by 10 here. That's the thing we talked about so hard with our guys in game prep. I think a day off from running around paid off. We had some energy out there when we had to. It was a fun, fun win for us."
Junior forward Kyisean Reed led the Aggies in rebounding with 10 boards. "I told him before the game that he had to have 10 rebounds tonight and he had five at half, and I told him, 'You're halfway home,'" Morrill said. "He had a tough time at the line, but he was active out there. We just have to try • See AGGIES, Page 9
SENIOR GUARD BROCKEITH PANE drives to the basket against Idaho
JUNIOR GUARD DEVYN CHRISTENSEN drives the lane against San Jose State at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Christensen, the WAC leading scorer, dropped 20 points to lead the Aggies over the Spartans on Senior Night. CODY GOCHNOUR photo
•> From Page 7
Christensen drops 20 to propel Aggies over Spartans
BY CURTIS LUNDSTROM staff writer
It took a team effort, but the Utah State women's basketball team got it done Senior Night.
Five different players finished in double figures in scoring as the Aggies posted an 84-71 win over San Jose State in the regular season finale Saturday.
"It's hard to win on Senior Night," head coach Raegan Pebley said. "Both teams have so much that they're playing for. I'm really proud of our team in just staying composed, staying poised and confident. Our kids, this win is all on them."
Junior guard Devyn Christensen paced the scoring for Utah State with 20 points and sparked an early run that gave USU the momentum and advantage. Trailing 4-2, 30 seconds into the game, the Western Athletic Conference's leading scorer recorded eight points during a 15-0 run, as San Jose went more than six minutes without scoring.
Christensen scored 13 points in the first half, and junior guard Jenna Johnson added nine as the Aggie defense forced 17 Spartan turnovers en route to a 41-29 lead at intermission.
Four turnovers were steals by Johnson, who recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The 5-foot-10 Alaska native finished with six steals to go along with five assists and three blocks in 34 minutes of play.
"(Johnson) was all over it," Brown said.
"Jenna's been huge. When she plays aggressive, we all work off her. Jenna is the heart of the team, she's a good player - hands down one of my favorite players to play with."
San Jose State didn't go away quietly.
The Spartans came out of the locker room and stormed back by way of a 9-0 run during the first two and a half minutes of the second half. Freshman guard Ta'rea Cunnigan scored five
points during the stretch, including a 3-pointer, to cut the deficit to three at 41-38.
After senior guard Brooke Jackson hit a free throw for the Aggies, Cunnigan pulled the Spartans within two on a jumper in the lane. One minute later, senior center Myesha Broaden made it a one-point contest with a layup off of a USU turnover.
With the offense having managed two field goals in the second half, Jackson and sophomore guard Jennifer Schlott stepped up for the Aggies. Jackson hit a 3-pointer from the wing for a five-point lead, and Schlott added two 3-pointers during the next two minutes as Utah State stretched its lead to eight with seven and a half minutes to play. Jackson and Schlott each fmished with 15 points in the game, and Jackson hit her second 3-pointer of
Seniors carry Aggies down the stretch in road victory over Hawaii Warriors
made a layup and drew a foul
-0n USU junior forward Igor Premasunac. The junior, who .scored a team-high 19 points, converted the free throw to give the Warriors a 29-27 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.
Medlin tied the game on ' the ensuing possession with •:a pair of free throws, but a :defensive breakdown gave ;Thomas a wide-open dunk, : )vhich give Hawaii a lead it -would maintain for much of --the second half.
• Hawaii began the second
half on a 9-2 run, fueled by 3-pointers from Ostrowski and senior guard Zane Johnson. Johnson's baseline 3-pointer with 17:54 to play gave the Warriors a 41-30 lead.
USU chipped away at the lead throughout the second half and finished the game on an 11-5 run. During the final two minutes before Grim hit the game-winning shot, Medlin and Pane each hit jumpers while Hawaii struggled to hit free throws.
"It was bound to turn our
way eventually," Morrill said.
"These things do tend to even out. We just hung in tonight. We could have given in a lot of times in the second half tonight. We're hanging by a thread, and we kept playing and kept playing."
Johnson and Thomas both went one of two from the line, and it was after the miss from Thomas when the Aggies took the lead. "We just made some plays at the end," Morrill said. "Brockeith made a big shot, Preston made a big shot.
Obviously Morgan's was huge at the end."
Hawaii junior center Vander Joaquim, who scored a team-high 24 points in Logan, was in foul trouble all night and struggled to get anything going on offense.
"He's not the same guy we saw in Logan for whatever reason," Morrill said. "We doubled him with our guards a lot and he made some silly fouls that got himself out of the game. If you would have told me coming in that he would have two points and
four rebounds, I would have said we would have a chance. It was certainly a factor for "us. USU now prepares for Louisiana Tech in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament beginning Thursday.
"We've got to step up and play," Grim said. "We've got to come out every game and be ready to play. We beat them twice, but it's hard to beat a team three times in a row."
- ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu
HAWAII (15-15) Johnson 2-6 5-7 10, Thomas 7-14 5-10 19, Ostrowski 5-9 1-1 13, Joaquim 1-3 0-1 2, Brereton 2-6 1-2 5, Jefferson 0-0 0-0 0, Stokes 1-2 0-0 2, Rozitis 0-12-22, Wiseman 3-7 1-1 7. Totals 21-48 15-24 60. Top Performers: Halftime - Hawaii 31-29. 3-Point GoalsUtah St. 5-20 (Medlin 3-8, Bruneel 1-4, Pane 1-4, Berger 0-1, Thoseby 0-1, Farris 0-1, Clifford 0-1), Hawaii 3-10 (Ostrowski 2-4, Johnson 1-1, Stokes 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Brereton 0-3). Fouled Out - Joaquim, Wiseman. Rebounds - Utah St. 37 (Reed 10), Hawaii 27 (Thomas 5). Assists - Utah St. 7 (Medlin 4), Hawaii 7 (Ostrowski 4). Total Fouls - Utah St. 23, Hawaii 24. A-8,192.
Aggie men and women dominate Seattle at home
BY MEGAN BODILY staff writer
The Utah State tennis team hosted Seattle University for an emotional Code Blue game. Both the men's and women's teams took to Sports Academy to hold off the Seahawks for the win.
Women USU6,SU I
The women's team has not faced SU for as long as head coach Chris Wright said he can remember. Heading into the game, the team looked to battle physically, but the mental aspect of the game was a challenge also.
"(It was a) good match, but very tough mentally and physically," Wright said.
In doubles action USU jumped ahead, winning all three matches.
Junior Jaci West and freshman McKenzie Davis slammed
the door shut on Seahawks' Katrina Schwab and Corinne Wurden. The duo cleaned up in less than a half hour, winning the contest 8-0. Junior Kristina Voytsekhovich and senior Romina Nedakovic dosed out their match against An.pa Lambert and Lindsey Newman in the No. 2 doubles position winning 8-3.
Senior Brianna Rowland and freshman Kimberly Watts defeated SU's Gabriella Weissman and Sarah Lucas 8-6 in the No. 3 doubles position. Drama escalated on the courts with call disputes and player disagreements. Marchant said the team needed to stay focus and play.
"It's just the matter of keeping them focused," Marchant said. "There were some line calls getting in the way and disagreements but we told them to just play tennis."
West defeated Seattle's Alexandra Farrar 6-1, 6-3 in the
No. 1 singles position, and Davis defeated Schwab in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, at the No. 2 singles position.
Voytsekhovich also defeated SU's Newman in straight sets in the No. 3 singles position, but it was not without difficulty, Wright said.
"There was a lot of controversy in that match, a lot of overrules and a lot of questioning, but that's part of it," he said.
"You have to keep your focus. (Voytsekhovich) played very steady and solid. I was proud of her; it was one of the more challenging matchups."
Newman shed tears when down 3-5 in the second, even stopping play at one point for several minutes. Voystekovich won the match 6-4, 6-3.
Rowland defeated Seahawks' Lucas 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 5 singles position.
The Aggies' lone loss came from junior Julie Tukuafu, losing to 1-6, 7-6, 10-2 to Wurden in the No. 6 singles position.
The Aggies will host Montana State University at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club on Saturday.
Men
USU5,SU2
The Utah State men's team held off SU, winning the contest 5-2.
In doubles action, the Aggies won the doubles point but dropped one of the three matches.
"We struggled a little bit in doubles, we didn't play our best but you can't always expect to play your best," Marchant said.
In singles action the Aggies battled against a tough SU team.
Marchant said. "They were fighters."
Sven Poslusny defeated Mark Sh.krebtan in the No. 1 singles position. The Seahawk earned a point penalty for bad behavior after going down 0-4 in the first. Shkrebtan promptly walked over to his chair after the penalty, throwing his racket at his tennis bag and flinging its contents across the court. Poslusny would go on to close out Shkrebtan 6-3, 6-2.
Freshman Marcus Fritz found himself down 1-4 in the second set after winning the first against Simon Meske in the No. 2 singles position. The Swede recovered to win the match 6-3, 6-4.
"Fritz was got a little passive not playing his game, and we told him to step up and take control of the points," Marchant said.
Freshman Matt Sweet defeated Kevin Lynch 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 3 singles position.
Sophomore Fredrick Peterson narrowly won his match against SU's Flavio Malagutti, 7-5, 7-6 in the No. 3 singles position.
"Peterson's opponent had a great game, but Peterson has been moving better and that benefited him," Wright said.
The Aggies' two losses came from junior Lenny Whiting and senior Nate Ballam.
Whiting fell to Kyle Rapp 4-6, 6-7, 10-8 in the No. 5 singles position, while SU's Jason Bediones defate Ballam in straight sets in the No. 6 singles position.
USU will travel to Las Vegas to take on University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Friday.
FREDERIK PETERSON prepares to return a volley against Seattle at the Sports Academy on Saturday. Peterson won his singles match 7-5, 7-6. KIMBERLY SHORTS photo
GYMNASTICS
"We came in expecting to play a good tough match,"
USU falls to ranked Broncos
BY MEREDITH KINNEY sports senior writer
Two weeks ago, Utah State gymnastics had a massive meet on bars; last week the Aggies notched five career highs on vault. This week in Boise, the gymnasts picked up a season high on floor.
After posting low scores on the beam rotation, two gymnasts scored career highs and three landed above 9.8.
The Aggies opened up the meet on bars scoring a 48.825.
"We did what we wanted to do as far as coming out in the first rotation and being aggressive," USU head coach Jeff Richards said.
Junior Amelia Montoya dismounted for a 9.775 before Paige Jones landed a 9.825good enough to tie for third with Boise State University's Lindsay Kazandjian.
"It's our best event, and we came out ready, prepared and confident," Richards said.
On vault, USU faltered. Coming off a big meet, the gymnasts struggled to post big scores.
"Vault was just a little flat," Richards said. "We were a little bit hesitant."
Freshman Sarah Landes threw her vault for a 9.625, and Jones registered a 9.750 on the event.
The Broncos had a big meet on vault. Four gymnasts competed for scores above 9.8, and Bronco Brittany Potvin-Green scored a 9.9 to win the event.
On floor in the third rotation, the Aggies posted a 48.875 on the event. Freshman Susie Miller landed a career-high 9.85 before Jones
•> From Page 7
Aggies
''Vault was just a little flat. We
were a little hesitant."
- Jett Bichards, head coach USUgymnutioa
landed a 9.8. Landes scored a 9.85 to close out the rotation.
For the final rotation, the Aggies moved to beam. After posting a season high on floor the Aggies struggled again on beam.
"Going into beam, we needed a 48.4, which is pretty easy to do," Richards said. "We would still have a 194, which was right what we were aiming at as coaches."
USU didn't get it and scored a 46.95. Redshirt freshman Samantha Wagner posted a 9.725 - her highest of the season. Senior Rebecca Holliday landed a 9.575, and Jones added a 9.525.
"We just fell apart and didn't get it done," Richards said. "As soon as we got up on there we were hesitant, we were shaky."
For Boise State, Potvin-Green scored a 9.925 on beam, her second 9.9-plus score, to win the event.
The Aggies have a quick turnaround, returning home to take on Brigham Young University in their final home meet of the season Monday night. - meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu
head to WAC on winning streak and keep getting him more physical, but he was active."
USU's gritty 61-60 win over Hawaii had its struggles, especially at the free-throw line.
"We were leading the league in free-throw shooting, but it didn't look it out there," Morrill said. "We shot some of the most ungodly free throws I've ever seen, just not even close to drawing iron."
The Aggies game into the game averaging just under 70 percent from the charity stripe, but USU shot 12 of 26 from the free-throw line for
46 percent. Freshman center Jordan Stone shot Ofor 5 and Reed shot 1 of 6. Both players air balled a free-throw attempt.
The Aggies will prepare for the Western Athletic Conference Tournament next week as a fourth seed and will face fifth-seeded Louisiana Tech. "Obviously we want to do well in the tournament, but no matter what happens, we finished the season on a good note," Morrill said. We'd like to finish it on a really good note by doing well in the
tournament. It didn't look like a few weeks ago that we would end up on the plus side of this thing - that is awfully pleasing."
- ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu
Fast Stats
• USU shot 46 percent from free-throw line.
• USU outrebounded Hawaii 37-27, Reed grabbed IO rebounds.
- mega.bodi@aggiemail.usu. edu
SOPHOMRE
Utah State University• Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com
OurYiew
Further election improvements needed
After observing this year's ASUSU election in its entirety, we found that though we try to spread information about elections and candidates the best we can, the majority of students voting are still doing so blindly. We can only assume this is because it appears that any form of bribery is an effective way to stack up student votes. This year we were bribed with things like massive sugar cookies frosted with festive blue A's and free raffle tickets.
Clearly, those on campus who tried to reach students and urge them to vote had an incredible amount of success. This year, the voter turnout nearly doubled that of last year's election. This pleases us.
However, passing out cookies as bribery to vote in general is much different than bribing students with raffle tickets to vote for a specific position on an issue. After the College of Science senator filed a grievance against the USU College Republicans president for doing just this - tallying votes against the Aggie Reci"eational Center and Legacy Fields fee - we figured the grievance board would demand to redo voting for that particular item on the ballot. We are assuming that had students voted down the ARC fee, there would have been demand for a recount. Luckily for ARC supporters, the fee passed by a narrow 134 votes.
While it is positive so many students votes, it would be ideal to see students who were more educated on the pros and cons of the ARC fee as well as the pros and cons of each candidate. With the way elections are set up now, this ideal is doomed. Students only have one way to view candidate platforms before elections begin - on the ASUSU website - and let's be honest, how many students enjoy surfing USU's website? Therefore, the majority of students vote for the candidate who has the whitest smile or the largest mob wearing their campaign shirt. We've observed the I'm-friends-with-everyone candidate knows nothing about USU Administration, policies or procedures. But in the end, they always win.
We'd like to see campus elections work the same way national elections work. We would all be more informed if we could familiarize ourselves with the candidates' names and platforms weeks in advance. It doesn't work to throw a bunch of names at freshman students three days before final elections and expect them to have an understanding of who these people are. Secondly, why do we have public voting? Shouldn't we make our own decisions during elections, instead of having our best friend feed us who he or she thinks the dime-piece candidates are.
More than anything, we are sad to see the nontraditional presidential candidate receive the least votes. He had a realistic view on what his position could accomplish. He had unique ideas while some of the other candidates spat out the typical line, "I want to help you be heard." If we knew who the most worthy presidential candidates were, we are certain the numbers would have reflected something much different.
Diverse crowds include the majority
Is race what defines diversity? When you look at a Black, Hispanic or Native American person , is the word "diverse" triggered in your mind? What about when you look at a white person? Could you consider that being diverse is simply being? Diversity is too often misunderstood.
ASUSU View
According to the Webster Dictionary, diversity simply means the state or act of being different. Aren't we all different? Why has the view of multiculturalism here been limited to people who are not Caucasian? For me, it's offending to see the lack of understanding our community has for the meaning of diversity. There are many forms of diversity that I believe our campus and community need to be aware of First and foremost is the type of diversity everyone is familiar with - visible diversity. It is the act of labeling a person to a specific stereotype or ethnic group. Too many people judge others from the outside. It is inappropriate to judge another just based on the shape of their eyes, their nose or the color of their skin. A Black woman could very well have the same interests as a Native American woman. They could have the same fashion sense, have the same •> See ASUSU, Page 11
Forum Letters
ASUSU leaders equally unethical
To the editor:
While we're calling people out for election ethics violations - regarding the iPod raffle - I'd like to point something out. Campus recreation sent me no less than three emails urging me to vote on the proposed rec center, and stated, "You are receiving this email
because you have used the recreation facilities on campus and/ or have participated in one of Campus Recreation's programs." While the email did not tell me how to vote, it was clear about what their personal preference was. The school has been very biased in promoting this new facility. I believe it was wrong to use an email list that only they have access to to pu sh their agenda, ~specially sin_ce this e!1'ail information 1s not given
to the
Letters to the editor• A public forum school with the understanding that the school is going to evangelize those accounts. I suppose that all I'm saying is that it's a double standard in my mind for the ASUSU to discuss ethics violations only with those who oppose their opinions. Our elections need much better policing; there are still far too many incidents of panhandling,
• See LETTERS, Page 11
Quran burnings not reflective of values
From the left
American and Afghani relations reached a breaking point last week when American soldiers burned copies of the Quran at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.
According to reports the G)urans were burned because prisoners at the base's prison were using them to pass notes to each other. Afghanis working at the base saw the burning Qurans and reportedly managed to retrieve eight of them.
The Quran - Islam s sacred text - is considered the literal word of God and is to be treated with reverence and respect. In many sects of Islam, a Muslim must undergo a ritual hand washing called " wudu" before handling it.
Though burning the Quran is one accepted method for disposing of worn out or old copies, heaping copies with the day's garbage would hardly fit any acceptable Islamic standard.
However, the waves of protest at the accidental burning of the the Quran are merely symptomatic of a larger smoldering anger and resentment of the Afghani people toward the more than decade-long American occupation
What are we really doing there? Operation Enduring Freedom - as it was termed by the Bush Administrationis now the longest war involving the U.S. It was a unilateral attack by the U.S. without any international authorizationa war crime according to international law.
Rather than act as freedom fighters Americans are increasingly seen as imperialists, occupiers and even criminals.
Just last month, footage emerged showing U.S. soldiers urinating on dead Afghan corpses. A few days later, photos were published showing U.S. soldiers posing in front of a flag bearing a Nazi symbol. Unmanned drone strikes at weddings and funerals have killed scores of civiliansincluding children.
The country is less sta• See LEFT, Page 11
AColumn Divided
Two students take two angles on one political Issue
from the right
After a decade of cultural blunders in the Middle East it astounds me we would do someth i ng as asinine as burn the Quran. If not purely accidental, juvenile is an apt description for our actions.
A famous military strategist wrote, Good strategy presumes good anthropology and sociology. Some of the greatest military blunders of all time have resulted from juvenile evaluations in this department."
Most of the facts surrounding U.S. soldiers burning Qurans are still being investigated. Whatever the investigation reveals - maliciousness, carelessness, or plain dumb decision making - it ' s clear our military has vitiated much of the progress we made in Afghanistan.
U.S. relations with the infantile Afghan government are at an all-time low. Riots have broken out, leaving 30 Afghans and six U.S. soldiers dead. For the average citizen in Afghanistan, it has never been more popular to be antiAmerican.
We need to be more culturally intelligent in our military actions abroad. Over the past ten years, operations in Afghanistan made significant strides in this arena. It's clear, however, that we aren't quite there yet.
The process of nation building and counter-insurgency is a long and delicate process. The paramount objective is winning over the hearts and minds of the people. The process may take several decades and there is no proven formula for success. One thing we do know, howev er, is culture matters. Needless to say, burning the one item that represents the most significant and central aspect of their culture is ill-advised.
Defenders of the military will justify the actions by pointing out that captive insurgents were using the books to communicate messages to operatives on the outside. While this fact is still under investigation, it still holds little water ever
• See RIGHT, Page 11
•
fo r r
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• Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed.
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FROM ASUSU, Page 10
voice dialect, the same political party or the same religion. Labeling someone based on visible diversity is a superficial awareness. The second type of diversity is one that is too often not paid any attention. It is invisible diversity. Invisible diversity includes those attributes that are not readily seen, such as work experience, religious beliefs and affiliations, geographic location, or socioeconomic status. For example, you probably assume an Indian you see was born and raised either in the U.S. or India. However, it is
possible she was born and raised in Jamaica. Indians arrived in Jamaica in the 1800s and remain a part of the fabric of that islandnation today. I have many close friends who are each diverse. I have a dear friend who was born in American Fork and moved to other parts of the world, due to her father's military service. She is a white American who has lived in 12 international locations, moving about every two years. As a gi_rl with many interests and talents, my friend embraces different cultures daily and
FROM THE LETTERS, Page 10 vote purchasing and general ethics violations. It was so offensive to me that I did not participate.
Nathan Searcy
Open carry a 'moot point'
To the editor:
The article about an FROM THE LEFT, Page 10
open carry campus that ran March 2 were incomplete because there was no mention of the Federal Gun Free School Zone Act of 1990 - overturned by the Supreme Court in 1995, but revised and reinstated later that year - that states you cannot open carry within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, such as the Edith Bowen Laboratory School locales.
ble and more divided than before the U.S. invaded, and the longer we stay in Afghanistan the more ineffective we become.
A few days ago, Jay Carney, White House press secretary, was asked by ABC News reporter Jake Tapper when the last time was that the U.S. killed an al-Qaida operative in Afghanistan. He didn't have an answer.
However, according to queries filed by George Zornick of The Nation magazine to the Defense Department and NATO, their answer was April 2011 - nearly a year ago. Since then, over 460 coalition soldiers were killed.
The quagmire we find ourselves in is only going to get worse and highlights the problems of nation-building.
It's time that we pull our young men and women· out. We have no business being in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden is dead, and al-Qaida moved to other
is one of a smaller population in Utah who, I believe, understand the meaning of being diverse. My friend established an identity by merging with different cultures. Today, she attends usu. While each individual is unique, he or she generally has many attributes that are similar to those of others. In life, you will find that people who you believe are just like you are more different than you think, and people you perceive as different have a surprising amount in common with you than you realize. Creating assumpand Center for Early Childhood Education. The vast majority of campus is covered under this 1,000foot radius. I feel this issue is a moot point.
Andrew Munguia
tions toward other people based on visible diversity will prohibit you from being able to take part in the enriching opportunity to be friends with people you never thought you would have been able to.
I often see individuals on campus shun certain groups because of racial, cultural, religious, lifestyle and background differences. The predominate identity on campus is Caucasian, LOS, conservative, Utahn, traditional, middle-class and raised with a general education. Some of those who do not fit into any of
Conceal carry saves lives
To the editor:
People have been concealing firearms here for a very long time. I agree open-carry would cause problems and people would get scared, but you have to realize it
FROM THE RIGHT, Page 10
those categories are often overlooked and ignored in the community. We need to open the eyes of this campus to the ever-growing need to understand diversity and be diverse. The last form of diversity is called personal diversity. The combination of diverse attributes - both visible and invisible - define an individual's personal diversity. Individuals will be able to grow and love what makes them diverse, while inspiring those around them and creating an uplifting atmosphere. Unity will be established in the stu-
is not those who conceal weapons who are going to start shooting a bunch of people. If you look back to the Virginia Tech shootings, Chardon High School and other shootings, the shooters did not have conceal-carry permits.
When someone wants to bring a gun to schoolor anywhere - to do harm to others, they do not care what laws are in place.
dent body, and individuals will be embraced. So, when we recognize, value and embrace diversity, we likewise support and acknowledge the uniqueness of each individual and our campus as a unit. Creating that unity and that bond on campus will help with the student voice as we share the same goals and values toward our academic pursuits.
- Becky Checketts is the College of Education senator on the ASUSU Academic Senate. Comments on this column can be sent to statesmanoffice@aggiemail.usu.edu.
It doesn't matter if every restriction thought of is placed on banning guns, bad people will find a way to get one and carry out their intentions. If students, faculty and staff would have been able to conceal carry, think of how many people would still be alive.
Kyle Christiansen
We are spending over $2 billion a week, yet some argue that our country doesn't have enough to support Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs.
It's time we take that money and put it to use helping poor and needy people here rather than killing poor and needy people thousands of miles away.
The longer we stay, the more we are resented and the more it fuels radical and violent attacks against the U.S. - making us, in a tragically ironic way, less safe overall. If the war doesn't end now, when will it?
- Andrew Izatt is a sophomore majoring in economics and philosophy. Comments can be sent to him at andrew.izatt@aggiemail.usu.edu.
if it's true. There are less offensive ways to screen coded messages than burning sacred texts. I would start by suggesting they restrict access to or screen suspect books. Or the military could get really creative and bar access to writing utensils for prisoners.
It kills me that we would do something like this, it really does. To make matters worse, the increasingly insignificant presidential candidate Rick Santorum called President Obama's apology on the matter a sign of weakness. Santorum said the president shouldn't apologize for something unintentional.
So, we shouldn't apologize for something if it's accidental? Isn't that the kind of country we don't want to live in -a place where you don't have to apologize for accidents? Great logic, Rick. This should not be Americans' attitude: "Oh, is that your window I broke? Is that your dog I ran over? It was an accident, but sucks to be you, though."
Where do we go from here? Accident or not, the military needs to set a precedent by doling out severe and highly public punishments. While those involved may be getting the short end of the stick for doing something they may have done in ignorance, there is simply too much at stake. If we hope to be successful in Afghanistan, we need to send a clear message to Afghan citizens that the actions our soldier took are not tolerated and do not represent the U.S.
As citizens, we can be a solution to this problem. Let's not be an audience for Rick Santorum or the Florida pastor who hosted "Burn a Quran day." Culture matters. As the most influential country in a globalized world, we don't have the luxury of ignoring it.
- Mike Burnham is a junior majoring in international relations and economics. Comments can be sent to him at mike.burnham@gmail.com.
Preparing for Super Tuesday
BY STEVEN THO\L'\tA McClatchy Newspapers
None will wear capes - we hope - but the candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are about to go Super.
As in Super Tuesday. After two months of campaigning largely in one state at a time, they're in a coast-to-coast dash leading up to the March 6 caucuses and primaries in 10 "Super Tuesday" states: Alaska, Georgia. Idaho, Massachusetts. North Dakota, Ohio. Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.
There will be 437 delegates up for grabs on that one day. more than the 299 selected so far in alJ states that have voted.
That won't be enough to clinch the nomination for anyone. It will take votes from 1,144 delegates at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla to win.
It is enough to offer a smorgasbord of opportunity. though. and the four major candidates will spread out across the map in search of victories to brag about and delegates to add to their totals.
THE CANDIDATES
Fonner Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. leading the pack with 163 delegates so far. will look for wins everywhere, particularly Ohio. He should have Massachusetts in the bag, and he ·s also likely to dominate Virginia. where he's one of only two candidates on the ballot. along with Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
Fighting for Republican delegates
The four remaining candidates vying for delegates ahead of the Republican National Convention in August:
governor of Massachusetts
Fonner Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, with 83 delegates so far, will focus on Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma and Tennessee. "Well over half the country still has to vote.'' he told supporters by email Wednesday. "I am prepared for this marathon race."
Fonner House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has 32 delegates. looks for a win in his former home state of Georgia, the biggest delegate prize of the day with 76, as well as delegate wins in Ohio and Oklahoma. "Winning next Tuesday moves us toward Tampa in a big way," Gingrich said Tuesday. "Georgia is the biggest group of delegates out there on Super Tuesday. so this is a big deal and it really. really matters.''
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, with 19 delegates. aims at caucus
states such as North Dakota where his loyal supporters can have outsized impact in the town hall-like meetings, and Virginia. where only he and Romney qualified for the primary ballot. "It's very appropriate that the state of Virginia be involved in our revolution that's going on." he said.
THE HISTORY
Given the universal role of caucuses and primaries in selecting delegates, and thus the major party nominees, it's easy to forget that they only became.widespread starting in 1972 as a modem reform meant to give more power to voters and take it away from party bosses.
As recently as 1968, a candidate such as Democrat Hubert Humphrey could jump in late
with the backing of party elites. go to the convention without having won a single primary himself. and win the nomination. The idea of a Super Tuesday started in 1988. when Southern Democrats wanted to pool their political strength to make sure the party reflected their more conservative views. Eight states in the South plus Oklahoma voted on that Super Tuesday. But Al Gore, Jesse Jackson and Michael Dukakis split the vote. Dukakis. a Massachusetts liberal, won the nomination and lost the general election.
The day has produced mixed results over the years since, sometimes producing a split verdictas in 2008 when Democrat Barack Obama won 11 states and 847 delegates and Hillary Clinton
won 12 states and 834 delegates - and sometimes helping a candidate alJ but clinch - as in 2004 when Democrat John Kerry swept 9 of 10 states. While it is a big day in the campaign, this year's vote won't be that super.
First, it will select
Monday, March 5, 2012
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Breaking the Mold • kenneth./ocke@aggiemail.usu.edu
Argyle Sweater
Loose Parts • Dove Blazek
The Joke's On YOUI
Check it out! Take a
look at this cartoon ••• the only thing missing is the f>unch line, the big finish, the gag! You need to suf)f>ly that for readers of The Statesman. Send you gag line to: statesman@ usu.edu, subject line:
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Loose Parts • Dove Blazek Gag line. We'll f)ost those on our website, www.utahstatesman. com, as soon as we get them and folks can vote for their fave! Winner will receive a Winger's gift certificatel Deadline to send your gag: Tuesday noon.
by Gary Kopervas
today is Monday, March 5 2012. Today's issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for April Allen a sophomore IIUlJOrmg m radiology from North Logan Utah.
Today in History: On March 4, 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as 32nd president of the U.S.
Statesman Back Burner
Monday March 5
Tuesday March 6
National Nutrition Month Challenge -All Day
Lost Treasures of Utah State University Exhibit- 10 to 5 p.m. Twain Tippetts Exhibition Hall
Wednesday March 7
•) Annual Spring Book Sale! USU Library, all books only 25 cents, only 3 days.
•> RRR Auction- Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, 6 p.m., 244 S Main, Live auction.
•> Nature Night at Stokes Nature Center, 4 -7 p.m., 2696 East Highway 89 Logan Canyon
•> 'The Pirates of Penzance' at the Morgan Theater at 7:30 p.m. March 7-10.
Dropping classes You Need to Know: Flying McCoys • G&G McCoy
Dates to remember: March 9-Last Day to Drop Classes (W on transcript) and Last Day to change to P/D+/D/F; March 10-May - No Dropping of Classes Permitted; March 12-16 - Spring Break (No Classes held)
The Intensive English Language Institute (JELi) awards two $500 scholarships each year to former students who have completed all of the IELI Level 4 course and are currently studying for a bachelors degree at USU. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of intercultural involvement, academic scholarship, and financial need Applications are available at the Intensive English Language Institute and the Office of International Students and scholars. Applications are due in the IELI office on March 21, 2012.
USU students have created a Pre-Occupational Therapy club. If students "like" USU Pre-O.T club on facebook, they ' ll find out when our meetings are, what service projects were doing, and information that we've provided about Occupational Therapy. They can also visit the website at http://usupreot.weebly com/. Going into the field? Get informed about it.
Young Americans for Liberty is hosting DiverCITY & DiscrimiNATION - a multi club event sure to entertain! Breakdancing, standup comedy, relevant political discussion, and guest speaker - Congressional Candidate Jacqueline Smith. Monday 5 March 1-3 p.m in the TSC Auditorium. Stop by & laugh & learn with us! Questoins? 435-760-295.
Pizza Pie Cafe will donate 25 percent of food
purchases on Monday, March 5 through Thursday, March 8 for a sustainable development project in rural Ecuador. Just be sure to bring in the fundraising card when you order (available in the ENVS department office-NR 201, or online: http://www. camaronescommunitycoalition. org/files/5613/3013/2084 / PPC_FundraiserCards.pdf. 100 percent of the money raised is going toward sustainable development in a rural community in Ecuador, with the main focus being construction of a community center and completion of a potable drinking water project.
The Utah State Film Club and Caine College of the Arts invite you to submit your films to the Logan Film Festival. You are invited to submit any film you have produced since 2009 for our upcoming festival in April. For more information, please visit www. loganfilmfestival.com.
The Department of Journalism and Communication, in partnership with the Department of Military Science, will host "Out of Iraq" - a look at the effects of the Iraq War on the local and global community - on March 19, the nine -year anniversary of the beginning of combat operations in Iraq. Organizers are seeking students, staff, faculty and community members who were impacted by the war to join an introspective moderated discussion starting at 1 p.m. at the TSC Auditorium. At 6 p.m. in the same location, a panel including experts on the military, national intelligence and Middle East politics will discuss how the war has shaped the world and what its legacy will be. To volunteer for the panel or for more information, contact Matthew D. LaPlante, assistant professor of journalism, at
