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Utah State University
Today is Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 Breaking News
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Logan, Utah
New economics degree offered by USU in China
By ALISON BAUGH senior writer
Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as the new manager.
Campus News Chi Omega holds Halloween carnival to get cans for a food drive. Page 3
Features Gossip and scissors. Hairdressers spill secret confessions. Page 6
A new degree of economics is at hand for students at three Chinese universities which are partners with USU. USU has partnered with these schools to offer both associate and bachelor’s degrees in interdisciplinary studies, but after hearing students’ requests, USU is proposing a change to offer a degree in economics. The students are interested in business, which has been the focus of the interdisciplinary degree, but have expressed interest in an economics degree, said Chris Fawson, member of the International Cooperative Education and Initiatives and economics professor. This is one of the reasons the International Cooperative Education and Initiatives is working on this change, said Li Li, director of the program. The universities in the partnership are Northeast Dianli University in Jilin City, Beijing, Institute of Technology and the Institute for Advanced Learning in Hong Kong, China. The program began in 2000 with NEDU. Professor Dwight Israelsen said the college has been laying the groundwork of changes such as this for the past few years. If passed, the interdisciplinary degree would no longer be offered except for those students in the program who want to complete it, Israelsen said. “The interdisciplinary degree would be phased out and the economics degree would be implemented in,” Fawson said. Changing the degree would also move it from being directed by the Provost’s Office to the College of Business and the economics department. This is still in the process of changing as part of the degree change, but Fawson said it only
- See DEGREES, page 4
One-year-old Connor Brakefield attended the Halloween carnival Wednesday afternoon. The carnival and food drive was hosted by Chi Omega. NOELLE BERLAGE photo
Kids costumed for a cause
By BRIA JONES staff writer USU’s Chi Omega sorority raised about 340 cans of food from donations given at a Halloween carnival. Other Greek organizations and around 30 on-campus clubs participated in the carnival Wednesday. “The Chi Omegas have just as much fun as the kids, if not more, because it’s a lot of fun to see how excited they get and to see all their costumes,” said Kiera Radman, senior member of Chi Omega. Admission to the carnival was a donation of one can per child or five cans per family, which the sorority then donates to the Cache Community Food Pantry. People also had the option of making a cash donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Chi Omegas managed to raise 600 cans of food last year. Members were hoping to raise even more this year after having stepped up advertising, said Chi Omega Service Chair Jennifer Gasser. However, the sorority fell short of their goal when
the two-hour carnival ended at 6 p.m. The sorority also raised about $1,500 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation during last year’s carnival. Details on the cash donations for this year were not immediately available. Canned food donations ended with the carnival, but cash donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation are accepted by the sorority throughout the year. The carnival, which was held in the Fieldhouse, is Chi Omega’s fall semester philanthropy project and has been going on for several years, Gasser said. During the spring, the sorority sells roses for Valentine’s Day, giving all proceeds to the MakeA-Wish Foundation, which is also the sorority’s national philanthropy foundation, said Chi Omega President Sara Parker. According to the Chi Omega local chapter Web site, more than 700 children attend the carnival
- See CARNIVAL, page 3
College of Engineering gets $1 mil
Sports
By USU Media Relations
The USU women’s basketball team annihilates Utah Pride 92-53 in its first exhibition game. Page 9
The USU College of Engineering will receive a total of $1 million over four years from the Micron Technology Foundation to create the USU Micron Research Center. The center will host research and instruction in the area of emerging hardware and software technologies, primarily in reconfigurable hardware technologies. The center will also train USU undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and science, exposing them to innovative research and a professional work environment. “Micron looks forward to col-
Opinion “When was the last time this state entity, USU, assured your comfort? Anyone remember midterms?” Page 12
laborating with Utah State for the development of next-generation technologies that drive global innovation,” said Brian Shirley, Micron vice president of memory. “The Micron Research Center will provide a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to be involved in research, further strengthening the university’s engineering and science platform and creating a pool of qualified and talented innovators for the microelectronics industry.” Research applications for today’s electronic devices include digital and video cameras, personal digital assistants, consumer electronics, defense and homeland
security applications and aerospace applications. Students associated with the Micron Research Center will take a variety of courses involving interchip communications, reconfigurable computing, digital image processing, digital signal processing, pattern recognition, mixed signal design and parallel processing. The Micron Imaging Center expects to graduate 10 undergraduates, six master’s and two doctoral students each year. As part of the donation for the center, undergraduate and graduate students will have an opportunity to apply for research scholarships and funding. The center is a result of extend-
Pumpkin carving 101
Almanac Today in History: In 1947, the Spruce Goose, created by Hollywood movie producer Howard Hughes, makes a one mile test flight at an altitude of 70 feet in Long Beach Harbor, Calif. The plane, the largest aircraft ever constructed, had a wingspan longer than a football field. The craft only flew once.
Weather High: 55° Low: 22° Skies: Partly cloudy in the morning, mostly clear the rest of the day. Archives and breaking news always ready for you at www.utahstatesman.com
IN FULL HOLIDAY SPIRIT, USU students carved pumpkins, showcasing their cutting talents. Big Blue was carved by sophomore Beau Pitcher. Melissa Cannon, also a sophomore, carved Nemo. The pumpkin with Charlie Brown and Snoopy in the moonset was carved by junior Matthew Hansen. Photos courtesy of Matthew Hansen.
ed efforts by former electrical and computer engineering department head Tamal Bose and will draw on expertise from other university departments, including physics, computer science, mathematics, biology and civil and environmental engineering. USU has received strong support from the Micron Foundation in the past with a $100,000 donation in 2002 for the creation of the Micron Digital Systems Lab and another $100,000 donation in 2004 to create the Micron Imaging Laboratory. The Micron Foundation also annually donates
- See MICRON, page 3
Page 2
World&Nation
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Today’sIssue
Celebs&People
Today is Friday, Nov. 2, 2007. Today’s issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for Lyonel Gammon, a sophomore in communications from West Jordan, Utah.
ClarifyCorrect 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 unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105.
Nat’lBriefs
$1 for each pound of candy LAYTON, Utah (AP) – A dentist has added a new dimension to the childhood tradition of trading Halloween candy: He’s paying the kids for it. Dr. Terry Preece paid children $1 for every pound they brought in Thursday. “We probably have 100 to 150 pounds,” Preece said at mid-afternoon, adding that two kids had hit the 10-pound limit. “I expect a rush when school gets out.” He took in 600 pounds at $2 a pound in 2005, the first year he tried it, he said. Overwhelmed with the response, and a few bucks poorer, he cut the bounty to $1 per pound in 2006. “We want to make sure the kids don’t eat the candy and get cavities and get hyper and restless in school,” he said. “If they could snack on fruits and vegetables and cheese — those are sure better for them.” The candy will be used to make Christmas decorations that are part of a hospital fundraiser, Preece said. When pressed, he conceded that an occasional piece is OK if you’re a good brusher. He said his daughter even passed out candy on Halloween. “That’s off the record,” he joked.
Boy accused of starting fires in South California
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) — A prosecutor will be asked to consider the case of a boy accused of starting a massive wildfire by playing with matches. Fueled by ferocious desert winds, the fire quickly spread, burning more than 38,000 acres and destroying 21 homes. The boy, whose name and age were not released, admitted to sparking the fire on Oct. 21, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Diane Hecht said Tuesday. “He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire,” she said in a statement. The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be presented to the district attorney’s office, Hecht said. It was not clear if he had been arrested or cited by detectives.
Chrysler cuts more jobs DETROIT (AP) – Chrysler LLC said Thursday it plans to cut up to 12,000 jobs, or up to 15 percent of its workforce, as part of an effort to slash costs and match slowing demand for some vehicles. The automaker will cut 8,500 to 10,000 hourly jobs and 2,100 salaried jobs through 2008.
Philadelphia police investigate the scene of a robbery and shooting at a Dunkin’ Donuts in north Philadelphia Wednesday, Oct. 31. AP photo
Police officer dies from gun shot, 2 others injured PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A police officer shot during a robbery shop died Thursday morning, and his killer remained at large. He was the third city officer shot in the span of four days. Chuck Cassidy, 54, was shot in the forehead Wednesday at a Dunkin’ Donuts when a hooded robber spun from the counter and fired at him as he walked in the door, according to an employee. The 25-year police veteran died at Albert Einstein Medical Center, Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said. “This is a sad day for the city of Philadelphia,” Johnson said. The gunman went into the shop and demanded money just before Cassidy opened the door, according to witnesses. Police released portions of a chilling videotape that shows the hooded robber pushing aside two customers and waving a gun as he approaches the counter. It also shows him grabbing Cassidy’s pistol as he fled. Investigators said they were not getting good leads; a $115,000 reward was announced Thursday for informa-
tion leading to an arrest. The department also established a trust fund for Cassidy’s family. Johnson said video showed the gunman running through the shop’s parking lot with a distinctive gait, almost as if he had a limp. “We still have an armed and dangerous man out there in the streets of Philadelphia,” Johnson said. In a statement Thursday, Cassidy’s family said they were “deeply appreciative of all the support and prayers from the police, the clergy, the community and many folks we don’t even know.” The officer came in twice a day for a large coffee with cream and sugar, shop employee Sandra Kim said. “He’s always nice to all the employees,” she said. “The officer was just coming in for a cup of coffee like normal.” Johnson said the officer was doing a routine check on the shop, which had been robbed Sept. 18 — possibly by the man who killed Cassidy. He said he didn’t think the robber got away with any money. Police on Thursday displayed a photo of a distinctive jacket worn by the robber in the September case. The
hooded jacket has a stylized cartoon drawing of a basketball player. The shooting came about 12 hours after a masked gunman shot traffic Officer Mario Santiago in the shoulder during a chase downtown. Santiago was responding to a report of a gunman in a sport utility vehicle shooting at another car, injuring two men and a woman, police said. He was chasing the SUV when the gunman eventually got out of his vehicle and approached the squad car, firing twice through the window. Santiago was hit once in the right shoulder, Johnson said. Santiago was in fair condition. Authorities said the suspected gunman apparently jumped into the Schuylkill River, where searchers later recovered a body. Early Sunday, an officer responding to a melee at a West Philadelphia nightclub was shot in the ankle. More than two dozen bullets were fired, police said. One suspect was fatally shot and another was arrested. A prayer service for Cassidy was scheduled for Friday morning at City Hall.
Escaped prisoner caught after 22 yrs. POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN, Utah (AP) – A Utah State Prison inmate missing for 22 years was arrested Thursday in Salem, Ore., after being caught allegedly using the identity of a Nebraska man. Lyndal Ritterbush walked away from the Draper prison on April 9, 1985 while making mechanical repairs to motorized carts outside the prison’s perimeter fences, Utah Department of Corrections spokesman Jack Ford said. Ritterbush fled about 10 p.m. with another inmate who was caught a short time later.
At the time Ritterbush was serving a prison term of five years to life for a first-degree felony conviction of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He had been in prison for about six months when he escaped. “Time doesn’t toll when you’re on escape status, so he’s still facing five to life when he comes back,” Ford said. A Clay County, Neb. man contacted police after discovering his name had been used to obtain numerous credit cards. Police tracked the cards to Ritterbush in Oregon, said Ford. Authorities don’t know how long
Ritterbush, now 62, has been in Oregon, nor do they know how and when Ritterbush acquired the other man’s identification information, Ford said. Utah officials have begun extradition proceedings and could return Ritterbush to the state prison as early as next week. Only one other inmate has been on the run longer than Ritterbush, Ford said. Robert Leon Jackson, escaped from the prison in May 1981, while serving time for a robbery conviction from the 1970s.
LONDON (AP) – J.K. Rowling has completed her first book after her wildly popular series on teen wizard Harry Potter — an illustrated collection of magical fairy stories titled “The Tales of Beedle the Bard.” Only seven copies of the handwritten book have been made, Rowling said Rowling Thursday. One will be auctioned next month to raise money for a children’s charity, while the others have been given away as gifts. Rowling drew the illustrations herself and provided the handwriting for the five stories that make up the collection of fairy tales. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is mentioned in the final Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” as a gift left by headmaster Albus Dumbledore to Harry’s friend Hermione, and provides clues that help destroy evil Lord Voldemort. “’The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years,” Rowling said in a statement. The volume, bound in brown morocco leather and mounted with silver and semiprecious stones, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on Dec. 13 with a starting price of $62,000. Proceeds will go to The Children’s Voice, a charity that helps vulnerable children across Europe. “Deathly Hallows,” the seventh and final installment in Harry’s adventures, was published in July. The seven books have sold nearly 400 million copies and have been translated into 64 languages. Rowling told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the book of fairy tales had helped her say goodbye to Harry’s world. “It’s not about Harry, Ron and Hermione, but it comes from that world,” she told BBC radio in an interview broadcast Thursday. “So it’s been therapeutic in a way.” Rowling said she was working on a new book, “a half-finished book for children that I think will probably be the next thing I publish.”
LateNiteHumor Top 10 Least Popular Halloween Candies — 10: Bit-O-Monkey 9: Lice Krispie Treats 8: Good N’ Clammy 7: Malted Meat Balls 6: Mullahmars 5: They-Might-Be-Raisinets 4: Al Gore’s Melted Sno-Caps 3: No number 3–writer out trick-or-treating 2: Mr. Goodbar who used to be Mrs. Goodbar 1: Tootsie Roids
StatesmanCampus News
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Congress passes new Song sung blue child health care bill, setting up veto fight
WASHINGTON (AP) – A defiant Democratic-controlled Congress voted Thursday to provide health insurance to an additional 4 million lower-income children, and President Bush vowed swiftly to cast his second straight veto on the issue. The legislation cleared the Senate on a vote of 64-30. It passed the House last week, but supporters were shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush’s threatened veto. “We’re convinced that the president has undermined an effort to protect children,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said shortly before the vote. “Congress has known for weeks that the President would veto this bill,” White House press secretary Dana Perino countered in a statement shortly after the vote. “Now Congress should get back to work on legislation that covers poor children and stop using valuable floor time to make partisan statements.” In a situation of unusual political complexity, Republicans dictated the decision to pass the legislation speedily. It appeared their goal was to shortcircuit attempts by supporters of the bill to reach a compromise that could attract enough votes in the House to override Bush’s veto. Attempts by Reid to delay final passage of the bill until next week or longer drew objections from the GOP. “I believe a deal is within reach,” said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, a participant in meetings with two senior Senate Republicans, Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah, and several members of the House GOP. Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., who supported Bush’s first veto and is involved in the discussions, said “we are pretty close” to an agreement but that several issues remain. For example, she said, the two sides had narrowed their differences on the issue of insuring maximum coverage of poor children before those in slightly higher-income families can be brought into the program. Baucus said the negotiations would resume next week.
The veto-threatened measure would add an estimated 4 million beneficiaries to an existing program that provides coverage for children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. The program currently provides benefits to roughly 6 million children. At a cost of $35 billion, the bill would be paid for through an increase in tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent rise on a package of cigarettes. Bush vetoed an earlier children’s health bill this fall, and Republican critics said it failed to give a high enough priority to covering poor children, marked a Democratic attempt to expand government-run health care, and did not take sufficient steps to prevent the children of illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. Democrats failed to override his veto on a vote of 273-156, 13 short of the two-thirds majority they needed. In response, Democrats launched a replacement measure, incorporating changes they said were designed to meet Republican objections to their first offering. But Bush dismissed those efforts this week, telling a business audience, “If Congress sends this bill back to me, I’m going to veto it again.” He predicted his second veto would be upheld. A day earlier, the president told House Republicans in a private meeting that he would veto any measure that raised tobacco or any other taxes, a significant hardening of the administration’s public position on the issue. Political polls show the children’s health issue enjoys widespread support, and Democrats and their allies have moved quickly to exploit it for their advantage with television and radio commercials attacking Republicans who opposed the legislation. The result has been a growing nervousness among House Republicans looking ahead to the 2008 elections. The party’s top leaders, Reps. John Boehner of Ohio and Roy Blunt of
- See BILL, page 4
Foundation, a conservative think tank. “This is no time for Congress to weaken the Department of Justice by denying it a strong and effective leader. ... It’s no time for Congress to weaken our ability to intercept information from terrorists about potential attacks on the United States of America. And this is no time for Congress to hold back vital funding for our troops as they fight al-Qaida terrorists and radicals in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said lawmakers refuse to give Bush a blank check for “his directionless war” in Iraq and will not rubber stamp his attorney general choice. And he said Bush is the one who has taken his focus off the real threats to security. “It is because of the administration’s mismanagement of the war that we stand unready for the next attack,”
Campus & Community
USU Water Initiative speaker this afternoon
New office building now officially open
KEVIN OLSEN, freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, sang Wednesday in Kurt Bestor’s Best Singer Search. Olsen sang “God Bless the U.S.A.,” competing for a spot in Bestor’s Christmas Concert. Bestor, composer and pianist, was also offering time in a professional studio and a meeting with a record executive. TYLER LARSON photo
Micron: $1 million going to center -continued from page 1 scholarship money that is given to the best electrical and computer engineering students. “Micron has been a great partner in helping the College of Engineering teach and train students with the knowledge and skills they will need to create tomorrow’s technologies and services,” said Scott Hinton, dean of USU’s College of Engineering. The Micron Technology Foundation, Inc., is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1999 by Micron Technology, Inc., to
fund education efforts and charitable activities. To learn more about the Micron Technology Foundation, visit its Web site, www.micron.com/foundation. Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconducter solutions and is at the forefront of digital innovation. To learn more, visit www. micron.com. To learn more about USU’s electrical and computer engineering department, visit www.ece.usu.edu.
Reid said. “Far from keeping Osama bin Laden on the run, President Bush has distracted us from tracking down a resurgent al Qaida.” Bush’s remarks were his second in two days alleging inaction on Capitol Hill, which has been led by Democrats since January. This speech focused on measures related to the war on terror, while Wednesday’s emphasized disputes between the White House and Congress over domestic issues. Bush argued the current debate over the Iraq war and the administration’s anti-terror methods harkens back to debates decades ago over resisting action when Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin first talked about launching a communist revolution, when Adolf Hitler began moves to establish an “Aryan superstate” in Germany, and in the early days of the Cold War when some advocated
accommodation of the Soviet Union. “Now we’re at the start of a new century, and the same debate is once again unfolding, this time regarding my policy in the Middle East,” Bush said. “Once again, voices in Washington are arguing that the watchword of the policy should be stability.” Bush said any denial of war is dangerous. “History teaches us that underestimating the words of evil, ambitious men is a terrible mistake,” Bush said. “Bin Laden and his terrorist allies have made their intentions as clear as Lenin and Hitler before them. And the question is, will we listen?” Said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-.N.Y., running for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination: “Americans
- See BUSH, page 4
Carnival: Activities for children organized as food drive
Briefs USU Water Initiative hosts the second of three campus viewings of the Fall 2007 Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Cyberseminar Series. Featured presenter is Jay Famiglietti, associate professor in the Department of Earth System Science and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Famiglietti discusses the twin satellite GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) mission. Famiglietti will speak from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Engineering Building, Room 413A.
Bush critical of Dems’ attitude toward terror
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush compared Congress’ Democratic leaders Thursday to people who ignored the rise of Lenin and Hitler early in the last century, saying “the world paid a terrible price” then and risks similar consequences for inaction today. Bush accused Congress of stalling important pieces of the fight to prevent new terrorist attacks by: dragging out and possibly jeopardizing confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general, a key part of his national security team; failing to act on a bill governing eavesdropping on terrorist suspects; and moving too slowly to approve spending measures for the Iraq war, Pentagon and veterans programs. “Unfortunately, on too many issues, some in Congress are behaving as if America is not at war,” Bush said during a speech at the Heritage
Page 3
-continued from page 3 each year, and with the help of the community, Chi Omega donates about 1,300 cans of food to the pantry each year. “It’s fun. I like this,” said Charlie Viator, a 3-year-old dressed as a pirate who participated in the carnival’s activities. The carnival featured tables set up by several organizations on campus with games and activities for kids to win candy or prizes. The activities ranged from tossing balls into plastic cups filled with goldfish and candy at the Sigma Chi table to mixing slime at the USU Chemistry Club’s table. Other activities included throwing balls into bowls floating in a plastic swimming pool, pin the nose on the pumpkin, fishing and face painting. For more information about the sorority and its service efforts, visit its Web site at www.chiomega.com/alphagamma. –bri.jones@aggiemail.usu.edu Lexee Savage, 5 years old, got her face painted Wednesday by Kara Bergloff, junior majoring in business. Activities included face painting and mixing slime with the Chemistry Club. GIDEON OAKES photo
Logan’s newest Class “A” office building “The Riverwoods” officially opened today with a ribbon cutting and public tour of the facilities. Located adjacent to the Logan River at 600 S. Main, this 81,000 square foot building is home to the following major tenants: Wasatch Property Management, Conservice Utility Management and Billing, Hillyard Anderson and Olsen Law Offices, Architectural Nexus, Cartwright Engineering, and Keystone Wealth Management. “We are pleased to bring a true Class A office to Logan. Both local and national tenants have come to expect this type of office facility and Logan can now offer a building that equals or exceeds what can be found in larger metro areas,” said Wasatch Property Management President Dell Loy Hansen. Architectural Nexus was the architect for the building and Cartwright Engineering was the structural engineer. Beazer Engineering handled the electrical engineering. The general contractor was Logan based Raymond Construction. The building is serviced with over 400 parking stalls in an adjacent two level parking structure. One of the unique features of the building is the plaza and river walk parkway that runs on the back of the office building, along the Logan River. The building is located on the site being developed along with a 115 room Marriott hotel, 32,000 sq. ft. conference center, and restaurant. Construction began recently on these buildings which are expected to be completed in about 12 months. Also completed on the site is 15,000 square foot retail building which houses the Planet Fitness athletic facility. The Riverwoods project is being developed by Wasatch Development Associates. Encompassing more than 30 acres the mixed use development will eventually include additional retail, restaurant and office facilities, conferencing facilities and high end residential housing. For further information about The Riverwoods project contact Darren Child, 755-2051 or dchild@netwastch.com.
Partners in Business on campus this week Customer service and marketing experts will speak at a Partners in Business Seminar at Utah State University Nov. 7-8. The 17th Annual Partners in Business Customer Service and Marketing Seminar will feature former CEO of NuSkin Enterprises Steven Lund; vice president of shopper marketing at Frito-Lay Inc. Jeff Swearingen; and president and CEO of BCC Consulting Mike Kennedy. Lund has been with NuSkin Enterprises since its founding in 1984 and now serves as vice chairman of the board of directors. He will discuss the benefits of adopting a direct-selling method. As vice president of shopper marketing, Swearingen is responsible for leading the strategic development of marketing plans for Frito-Lay North America. Swearingen will talk about how companies can find unique ways to elevate their brand in a changing retail environment, said Shannon Kuwitzky, seminar coordinator. Kennedy has more than 25 years experience with customer service in the contact center industry. He will discuss what it takes to deliver world-class customer service. Other experts speaking include top executives from companies such as Flying J, Overstock.com, Zion’s Bank, Comcast, Discover Financial, The SCO Group, Backcountry.com, Blendtec and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Partners in Business is a non-profit organization within the College of Business that is managed entirely by students under the direction of Bob Miller, executive director of the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. The program began in 1970 as a way to bridge the gap between business students and their future employers. Tickets are still available for the two-day seminar. Interested persons may register at the Partners in Business Web site at www.partnersusu.org or by phoning (800) 472-9965.
-Compiled from staff and media reports
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CampusNews
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Bush: Attacks attitude toward terror
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-continued from page 3
are tired of the president’s efforts to play politics with national security and practice the politics of division.” Congress earned Bush’s scorn even while he offered praise because a key Senate committee has passed a new eavesdropping bill containing many provisions the president wants. “It’s an important step in the right direction,” he said. Bush repeated earlier criticisms of a move to combine spending bills for the Defense Department and veterans programs with one for labor, health and education matters that Republicans consider bloated. Bush also lamented that his emergency spending request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan still languishes. “When it comes to funding our troops, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground,” Bush said, “and less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org President Bush compared Democrats’ attitudes bloggers and Code Pink protesters.” to those who ignored the rise of Lenin, Hitler. AP photo
Bill: New veto fight for health care
-continued from page 3
Missouri, joined the compromise negotiations in recent days. It is unlikely either of them would support a bill that raises taxes. Rather, officials said their intention was to coax as many concessions as possible from the Democrats so that the next measure would be one that other Republicans among the rank-and-file could comfortably support. As an example of the unusual political maneuvering on the legislation, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced shortly after the vote that Democrats would not immediately send the measure to the White House. And Reid said that out of deference to rank-and-file
House Republicans who are involved in the talks, he would ask Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to call for an immediate attempt to override a veto. Whether it succeeded or not, such a vote would only add to the political discomfort of GOP lawmakers who have supported the president so far on the issue, but may eventually part company with him. As part of the negotiations, House Republicans presented a proposal several days ago that requires a 90-percent signup rate for the poorest eligible children before a state can expand coverage. According to a description of the proposal made available to The Associated Press, no adults could be covered begin-
ning Oct. 1, 2008, except for pregnant women, although any adults currently receiving benefits could be transferred to Medicaid. All applicants would be required to stipulate that family assets did not exceed $1 million. Anyone seeking coverage would have to provide a birth certificate as proof of citizenship, a provision designed to bar illegal immigrants from receiving benefits. The proposal from House Republicans made no mention of the tobacco tax increase. The legislation that passed the Senate drew the support of 45 Democrats, 17 Republicans and two independents. All 30 votes in opposition were cast by Republicans.
Degrees: Partnership with Chinese
-continued from page 1
needs the approval of the Board of Regents. Israelsen said the change to departments is something Provost Raymond Coward and the Provost’s Office has been working on, trying to move the degrees to an academic home. “We want the degree housed in-department because that’s where the commitment to excellence is,” Fawson said. The economics degree requirements will be the same as they are at the Logan campus, Israelsen said, as are entrance requirements to the program. The professors as USU create the curriculum, syllabuses and lesson plans and then have course
instructors who deliver the material at the Chinese universities, Fawson said. All classes are taught in English, and if USU students in China aren’t able to meet the requirements, they can take intensive English classes. Communication between the two professors or the sister universities is daily with e-mail, phone calls or Web-camera conversations, Fawson said. “We have a very strong and outstanding partner-working relationship,” Li said of USU in Logan and those in China. Retired professors have been sent to China to teach specific classes, and some current USU professors spend intensive
weeks at each university Li said. The USU professors and students in China have also come to spend Li Li time at the Logan campus allowing them a new experience, Li said. There are more than 200 new students this semester at the three universities, Li said, and between the three universities, there are 816 total students this semester. The engineering department is also looking at offering degrees to USU students in China, said Li, who is working with the group. While the Chinese Ministry of Education has strict rules about foreign degrees, Li said USU has maintained a good relationship, which allows them to bring programs in faster. USU students also benefit from having campuses in China, Israelsen said. A group of 40 students is going to visit China this summer and experience not only the universities, but also the culture, he said. It also opens up opportunities from them in working with larger, international corporations housed in China, he said. The International Cooperative Education and Initiatives members said they hope the proposal to change to an economic degree and move the directing back into the department will pass before the end of this school year. –alison.baugh@aggiemail.usu. edu
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Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 Page 5
features@statesman.usu.edu 797-1769
WeekendDiversions
Meet Big Blue By BRITTNY GOODSELL JONES assistant features editor
Utah Statesman: Why did you want to be the character of Big Blue? Big Blue: Wow. A new adventure and to make people smile. US: What is the hardest thing about being USU’s mascot? BB: I would say being creative and energetic. Being creative by just thinking of ways to think people are enjoying that character and having a good time. Also, the hardest is the anonymity because when you see the same kids at games, you get to know them and it would be fun for them to know me back. US: What is the best thing about being Big Blue?
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BB: Best thing is the kids. I get to interact with them and they think you’re the greatest thing. There are a lot of kids at all the games, and sometimes the parents go to games just to see Big Blue. You feel like their hero. I love watching the kids stand in awe. They love it. I feel like I am serving people without them knowing that I am doing it. I feel like I get the crowd excited about the school, give them something to smile about, laugh about, and I enjoy making their life a little more cheerful. I can joke around with people, too, you know, be social. That’s the fun aspect of the job is that nobody knows who I am when I do those things. US: How much practice does Big Blue need to be able to perform in the Big Blue suit? BB: It takes a lot of time to get acclimated to the suit. For one, the vision is blurred, and it’s hotter than Hades in there. Any rigorous activity I do, I start sweating. I also have a hard time breathing in there sometimes. US: How intense are practices or games? How do you feel at the end of games? BB: Games are extremely intense. Whenever I have my suit on, I can lose five to 10 pounds by sweating it off. It’s not uncommon to sweat that much off, so it’s pretty rigorous. A lot of hours go into games to practice skits or half-time shows. I practice for two to three weeks prior, and I can practice about four to five days per week, so it takes a lot of time and effort. I played football and wrestled in high school, along with other sports, and I’ve never had anything that kills your body and wears you to more than this. Every muscle is sore, my body is dizzy and tired, sweat and wet. You feel like you could close your eyes and fall asleep standing.
- See BIG BLUE, page 8
photos courtesy Linda Zimmerman
Page 6
WeekendDiversions
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Secrets come out at salons By DEBRA HAWKINS staff writer
JON SCHMIDT
JAKE WHITE
GUITARIST
CLASSICAL / NEW AGE PIANO ENTERTAINER
SPECIAL APPEARANCE by CELLIST STEVE SHARP
IN CONCERT
NOVEMBER 10TH - 7:00PM KENT CONCERT HALL On the Campus of Utah State
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Working in the hair industry, stylists hear it all. Some say they have to be hair dressers and psychiatrists all in one. Cammie Toone, a stylist for the USU barber shop who has been cutting hair for 14 years, said clients will often spill news and information to their hairdresser they normally wouldn’t tell anyone else. Sometimes it’s to gain advice and other times just to talk their problems through. “We are the listening end of a psychiatrist,” Toone said. “My dad is a psychiatrist. I guess I am following in his footsteps.” Katie Meidell, a stylist for the USU barber shop who has been cutting hair for six years, said when clients tell things they wouldn’t normally tell other people, it can be difficult. “People say too much sometimes,” Meidell said. “You know what is coming when people start their sentence with, ‘I was never going to tell anybody this, but ... ’” Marie Wiser, a stylist for Serendipity who has been doing hair for eight years, said she has heard it all since the time she started doing hair. “There is nothing I haven’t heard,” Wiser said. “People talk a lot about their relationships, anywhere from homosexual relationships, to marriage relationships, to raising their kids and dating.” Meidell said she has pretty much heard everything, including the good news in people’s lives. And some of the strangest things she has heard are what clients ask her to do. “One lady came the day she got out of prison and asked me to wash her hair quite a few times because the prison has nasty shampoo,” Meidell said. “That was probably the most interest-
SAMI ROSE, A HAIR STYLIST FOR JC PENNEY, cuts hair for TaSheena Bodily, sophomore in graphic design. Hair dressers often hear detailed stories from their customers that may be depressing. Some people just need to talk, stylists say. DEBRA HAWKINS photo
ing request I have ever had.” Wiser said her most interesting client problems have been
CUTTING HAIR AND DYING IT IS all part of a days work for a hair stylist. According to hair dressers, being a psychiatrist is also part of the job. DEBRA HAWKINS photo
a result of what the clients have done to their own hair, rather than what is going on in their lives. “Once somebody put a blue direct dye into their hair, and other people have done perm after perm after perm,” Wiser said. “I have seen hair fall out like cotton candy.” Even though doing hair can result in some interesting requests, Wiser said she has also been told things that are disheartening and sad. “When people allude that there is abuse going on in their family somewhere, it is the saddest story,” Wiser said. “One of the hardest things is I feel like it is not my place to help with situations like that unless they specifically ask for my help.” Wiser said she thinks people come in and talk to the stylist because they need somebody who can listen but isn’t a part of the situation, so they can get all of their feelings out without feeling guilty about it. “I think that women need sounding boards, because that is
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Sara mconagh, a usu barber shop employee cuts a patrons hair. Working with scissors and electric razors also means hearing stories. Marie Wiser, a stylist for Serendipity, said one of her clients once told her about how she was kidnapped in Mexico for a month. She also said they tell her about having babies and getting married. DEBRA HAWKINS photo
our nature, so sometimes people turn their stylist into their own personal sounding board,” Wiser said. Cheri Housley, a stylist for the USU barber shop who has been cutting hair for nine years, said sometimes people tell stories about themselves or their friends just because they find the story interesting. “I had one guy who came in tell me a story about how his friend’s family had to escape Iraq and go into hiding because of their involvement in the Iraq government,” Housley said. Wiser said she has heard her share of fantastic stories. “One of my clients was kidnapped in Mexico for a month,” Wiser said. “She had resigned that she was going to die until one day they just dropped her off and told her to start walking and she just kept walking until she found a phone. She said the worst part of being kidnapped was her parents would never know where she was and they would never get closure.” Meidell said sometimes being told the sad things in the lives of others can start to weigh her down. “There have been times I have had to come home from work and tell my husband what I heard too,” Meidell said. “Sometimes you just feel sad about it. You should have to get a counseling degree to do hair.” Toone said even though hearing stories can be saddening, the most uncomfortable times are when she personally knows the people the client is talking about. “It is uncomfortable when I know the people,” Toone said. “Sometimes people tell you about extramarital affairs other people are having and you know that person. It can be really hard to keep that quiet.” Even with the sad things, Wiser said what she is told is overall positive. “I have heard negative things, but whether you consider something positive or negative is really up to how you interpret each comment,” Wiser said. Wiser said talking to clients can also be uplifting and inspiring. “I love when people have big events like getting married and having babies, but what really inspires me is when people have triumphed over trials.” Wiser said. “The most inspiring and wonderful thing is people triumphing over trials.” -debrajoy.h@aggiemail.usu.edu
WeekendDiversions
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Page 7
I’ll show you reality M
y life changed forever the other day. It all started out normal enough. Me, in a line, at a local grocer, buying some health food to sustain myself – 14 packs of pork ramen noodles, a 12-pack of Milwaukee’s Best Light, a pack of forever fruit Stride chewing gum and a bag of baby carrots. Then I saw it, those five words, emblazed on the cover of some random tabloid, right below a picture of a crocodile that claims to be the reincarnation of Steve Irwin: “The Hills” may be fake. No. It couldn’t be. Picture me holding my heart and gasping, cinematic like. If a venerable reality television show like “The Hills” was fake, what was real? Was I real? Were incredible things like joy, happiness, sex, beer, thrash metal, carnivals, having exact change, celebrity DUI photos, Shakira music videos – on pause – and professional wrestling real? My whole world was flipped. Up was down. Good was bad. Left was right. Joan Rivers and Barbara Walters were hot. Portia de Rossi and Scarlett Johansson were not. I started thinking terrible thoughts, like “Cavemen” might be a good show, flannel isn’t acceptable as dinner party attire, Carlos Mencia is funny, emo haircuts look fashionable yet still manage to make a statement – terrible, awful things. I questioned my faith – Did God really have a beard? I questioned my values – Were Tuesdays really not acceptable days for drinking beer? I questioned my goals – Is it misogynous to want to sleep with a girl from every major ethnic group? So many questions about friendship, laughter, lust and love. But mostly about love, and the appropriate way to find it. Before this reality-TV-maynot-be-real bombshell was dropped on my unsuspecting mental state, I was convinced it was OK to go the Flavored Rock Shot of Love way about finding my soul mate. I even went as far as to wear a digital clock radio around my neck – using the cord as a chain – and wearing a brightly colored lady’s bath robe for a week. I failed at least three tests that week because all I could think to put down for an
V
answer was “Yeah boy.” After such a commitment to irrational behavior, it was hard for me to wrap my head around a concept like fake reality TV. So I did what any red-blooded American man would do, I ingested a bunch of peyote and wandered out into nature dressed in a pink deer costume all in an attempt to sort out what was true, false and all of the above. Six hours later, the temperature had dropped substantially and a four-point buck tried to make me his baby momma, so I got the hell out of there. But my time in the woods showed me how to remedy the situation, right the wrongs of reality TV. You see, what reality television needs is me. My life is just as interesting as those people on the Real World. I could entertain people for hours with all my college-kid antics. People would be rolling on the ground with all the wild conversations. There would be drama-filled, cliffhanger endings to episodes about Pabst and Olympia beer fighting for my affection and decisions between mixed or ham breakfast burritos at Beto’s. Everybody would be enthralled as they watched me at night in my room in green-tinged night vision, like I’m a disease-free Paris Hilton. Except I’m just snoring, sucking my thumb and babbling about Power Rangers as I sleep alone in my bunk bed wearing footie pj’s. What did you think I did at night? There’s no procreating in a bunk bed. I would even be OK with having some sort of knock-off reality show, a sequel of sorts. One could be called, “Surviving Baker.” And kind of like its big brother show, “Surviving Nugent,” mine would feature people trying to survive a week or so with me. But where Ted had city folk and exotic dancers, I’d have a group of freshly returned missionaries. I would put them through all kinds of twisted challenges, like root beer shotgunning competitions, text message swearing contests and name that thrash metal band, where contestants would hear a song, name the band or have me hit them in the head with a football thrown at maximum velocity. Or maybe we could sort of
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turn the tables – I would get “MADE” into a sober, sweatervest-wearing, tactful, churchgoer who doesn’t use four letter words and has a mind that was pulled out of the gutter and onto the sidewalk of chaste, asexual behavior. The show would be filled with shots of me reading religious material, getting my mouth washed out with soap and crying because it’s all too hard. But in the end you would see me, clean shaven and in a shirt and tie, group hugging a well-dressed boy and girl, my “MADE” coaches, after attending several different religious service – we’d want to be politically correct, of course. Maybe I could get a show like “Kid Nation,” where I basically rule a kingdom solely comprised of children. With my kid army I would go around trying to conquer surrounding territories. I’d be like Napoleon except taller and not French.
I’d even be OK with donning the clock radio again and giving a reality love show a chance. It could be called something catchy and appropriate, like “Baker’s Bun in the Oven.” That one probably wouldn’t test well with audiences in the Midwest, though. I’ll admit it needs some work. Let’s all be honest, though, the reality show I’m most likely to appear on is “Cops.” Especially if anyone just read what I wrote. Dave Baker is a senior majoring in print journalism. Comments and questions can be sent to da.bake@ aggiemail. usu.edu. -da.bake@ aggiemail. usu.edu.
*1
Wedding Info? Send the Good News to office@statesman.usu.edu Do You Know The Code? Possession, consumption, sale, purchase, distribution, manufacture, and/or storage of any alcoholic beverage and/or illegal drugs anywhere on campus is Prohibited by the USU Student Code. For a complete copy of the USU Student Code, go to http:// www.usu.edu/stuserv/scode/index.html. Distribution to minors is illegal and is subject to federal, state and local laws. 9 out of 10 USU students know that USU has an Alcohol/Drug Policy. Ask for Curtis Craig.
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Steppin' Out This Weekend
Friday, Nov. 2 •”Urinetown,” An earnest musical tale of love, greed, and revolution, Morgan Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Free •USU Chamber Singers, USU Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m., Free for students •”Wait Until Dark,” Heritage Community Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $8, www.heritagetheatreutah.com •Violinist Sara Romney, Tippetts Art Gallery, 5 p.m., Free •USU Wind Orchestra and Logan High Wind Band, Kent Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m., Free for students •Weavings of War: Fabrics of Memory, AVA Gallery, 53 W. 100 South Friday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oct. 5 through Nov. 27
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Saturday, Nov. 3 •Elite Hall Benefit Dance, 83 W. Main, Hyrum, 7 p.m., $10 per person, $15 per couple, lessons from 7-8 p.m. •First Dam Run, Merlin Olsen Park, 300 E. and Center, 10 a.m., Registration from 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the turquoise shed on 300 East •Poetry and a Beverage, TSC Hub, 9 p.m. •Unicorn Theater presents ”Twice Upon a Time,” Bullen Center, 43 S. Main, 2 p.m. •Dinner/Auction Fundraiser, Stokes Nature Center, 6 p.m., 755-3239 •Contra Dance, Whittier Center, 290 N. 400 East 7:30 p.m., $5 donation requested
Want something posted on VENUES? Send to statesman@cc.usu.edu Information compiled by: Kate Rouse
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WeekendDiversions
Page 8
Have some respect for the theater Movie theaters are fantastic places. What’s better than being submersed in a movie? Giant screen, Dolby surround sound, guy talking on his phone. Wait! Guy talking on his phone? That’s right, we’ve all been there. We’ve just spent $7 to see a movie. We’ve hunkered down in our seat ready to be entertained, and the person next to us just opened up their cell phone and started talking. It astounds me how many rude and inconsiderate people go to movies. People think the theater is their own living room, or cannot comprehend there are actually other people around them who would rather not listen to their baby cry. Theater etiquette offenders come in all shapes and sizes, but here are a few to keep an eye out for (and if you’re one of them, please see the light and change your ways). The obsessive phone person: The worst ones will just answer their phone and start talking without regard to anyone around them. The more discreet ones understand that answering their phone outright is a sub-human act, but texting is just fine. It surprises me how many people think texting in a movie isn’t a big deal. When you open up your little phone in a dark theater, it lights up the entire place. It distracts people’s attention, and it’s annoying. So, if you can’t go two hours without communicating with the outside world, stay home. The movie commenter: There are some people out there who feel the need to comment on every aspect of the movie. The worst are the line repeaters who will just regurgitate dialogue after it’s been said and then follow it up with a hearty chuckle. Whatever someone has to say about the movie can be saved until after the show. And no one needs to repeat the lines, because the movie said it much better anyway. We all understand how hard it is for a person to hold in their oh-so-funny sarcastic remark, but don’t worry, I have a remedy for those people. They can wait until the DVD comes out, then play it in their own house and let out all the comments they want while holding a mirror in front of their face because they’re the only one who wants to hear them. The baby bringer: I know when someone has kids, their desire to see movies doesn’t go down. But, if every babysitter on the planet
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
campus threads
is dead and someone simply must take their baby/child (under 10) to a movie (exception: Disney movies), here are a few rules. First babies, no matter how young, will not always sleep through a late movie. I know this is a favorite excuse of new parents. They think if they take their child to a 10 p.m. movie, it will just sleep the whole time. This is wrong. Children do not belong in movies after 7 p.m., period. Second, if someone’s baby starts crying, they should please take it out. We all know they have learned how to “tune out” their kids, but we can hear them loud and clear. If I had my way, children wouldn’t be allowed in theaters, but because that’s viewed as heartless, please just understand there are other people in the theater, and a screaming child does not add to the atmosphere of the movie. The late arrivers: Get to the movie on time. There’s nothing more annoying than a group of people trying to find their seats after a movie has started. They stand on the stairs chatting about where to sit, and then they have to climb over everyone to get to the empty seats. If the movie starts at 7 p.m., that doesn’t mean arrive at 7. Get there early. The clappers: This one is just a pet peeve. I don’t understand clapping after a movie. There are no actors on stage. They can’t hear you. So why do people do it? The loud eaters: People shouldn’t shake the ice in their cups into their mouths, move their straw up and down, chomp their popcorn loudly, and for heaven’s sake, they shouldn’t sneak in a giant bag of Cheetos and dig through it the entire movie. The theater is a hallowed place to some. It should be treated as such. Next time you’re at the theater, please remember these rules, and when you feel that urge to text your friend you’ll be able to fight it and make the movie more enjoyable for everyone.
hat Al’s $25 jacket Old Navy $17
Shirt Zumiez $18
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a istory h s i d r a o b w o n s ior • h n u j • w e r g i t t e Molly P
jeans Zumiez $35
Shoes online $25
Total:
Aaron Peck is the Statesman movie critic. Comments and questions can be sent to aaron.peck@aggiemail.usu.edu
$120
NOELLE BERLAGE photo
By Debra Hawkins
Mascot: Some of the secrets behind Big Blue
-continued from page 5
classes and that person may have sat right next to that person.” USU’s furry mascot isn’t allowed to talk to anyone while in character, Zimmerman said. So, this also helps to keep Big Blue’s identity a secret. Big Blue’s schedule is unbelievable, Zimmerman said, especially since Big Blue attends elementary schools for service opportunities in addition to attending USU sporting events. Big Blue attends volleyball, football, soccer, gymnastics, and men and women’s basketball games. This position lasts the academic school year, and Zimmerman said students who have been Big Blue all seem to have a common personality. “None of them are scared of anything,” she said. “They’re fearless people. They just thrive on being in the suit and coming up with ideas for it.” Megan Darrington, athletics vice president, said Big Blue has a key role in promoting Aggie pride. And Big Blue and the cheer squad share that team
Attention Seniors:
Leave a Legacy at Utah State Univestity Participate in Senior Gift 2008! We will be erecting a sign above the tunnel on 400 North to identify campus to visitors, parents and students, with a plaque stating it is a gift from the Class of 2008. All donations accepted, small or large ($20.08 is recommended!) Our Goal this year is $6,000! To donate, go online to www.usu.edu/advancement/sgiftinfo.cfm or stop in Old Main Rm. 106. Or stop by the Grad Fair on November 13 in the TSC Ballroom, 8-4.
effort to create a spirited atmosphere. “(Big Blue and cheer squad) take it by storm at every single event,” she said. “Some of these students have families, a social life, so it’s a very hard balancing effort, but they do it well and are so positive.” Zimmerman said both male and female students have tried out for the position of Big Blue. Currently, this is USU’s ninth Big Blue. Zimmerman said Big Blue started out with real bull horns on its head and the head mask has evolved through four different heads since then. Zimmerman, who was a USU student until 1979, said there used to be a white bull brought to home games that served as the Aggie’s mascot. She said she would spray paint him, along with her fellow cheer peers, and they would take turns riding him during their performances. “He was the best-looking bull,” she said. A local radio station also hired someone to come dressed as a chicken and entertain at games. But Zimmerman said both mascots eventually faded out. Big Blue finally entered in 1989, she said. “There was this kid from Ricks College that just kept bugging us about a mascot,” she said. “We didn’t have a mascot at the time, and he was bugging us so much we decided we would take him down to the basketball tournament and check him out just to get him off our backs.”
A royal blue suit was rounded up for the student to wear, and Zimmerman said nobody wanted to wear it because it looked so ridiculous. The suit, however, didn’t hinder the performance. “(The student) was a hit,” she said. “Unbelievable. We just fell in love with him and had to have him. Gary Chambers (Interim Vice President for Student Services) was there with me and we were like, ‘we’ve got to find a scholarship for this kid.’” Throughout the next few years, Big Blue’s outfit went from royal blue to navy blue. Zimmerman said one of the heads had a huge toothy smile that scared kids too much. Eventually, Zimmerman said USU had the final head trademarked so no one else could ever use the same mold. The head has been replaced three times since it becomes old, stiff and smelly, Zimmerman said. Big Blue’s head mask, however, isn’t the only part that needs to be taken care of. After games, Zimmerman said she has to wash Big Blue’s suit since it holds sweat like a sponge. “I’m talking I could squeeze it,” she said. “It’s disgusting.” The suit is washed on a delicate cycle and then hung to dry. Since the suit is soaked with so much sweat after a game, Zimmerman said the Big Blue student always prepares their body beforehand to make sure they don’t lose too much water. This, she said, is one demanding part about being Big Blue. Another reason why being Big
Blue is difficult is because of the training, she said. Not only does Big Blue have to be in good physical condition, but Zimmerman said Big Blue has to learn about the limited field of vision in the mask. Big Blue’s vision is through the nostrils instead of the eyes, she said, so there is no side vision. “Big Blue spends a lot of time learning this,” she said. “(Big Blue) is always having to turn its head to see everything so it needs to practice dancing, doing stunts, with the head on.” Zimmerman also said because the suit is so heavily padded, nobody would know if Big Blue landed wrong or was hurt during a stunt or performance. “Big Blue can land softer because of the padding, but we’ve had our share of injures,” she said. “Nobody would know though, because they rebound and then we take Big Blue up the tunnel.” Some students who once donned the mask and suit of Big Blue went on to become professional mascots for different national teams, Zimmerman said. The first Big Blue student is currently the mascot for the Denver Nuggets and the second Big Blue, she said, went on to be the Golden Eagle mascot in Salt Lake City for awhile. The third Big Blue student became the mascot for the Cleveland Cavaliers, which, Zimmerman said, was the first mascot for the Cavaliers. -brittny.jo@aggiemail.usu.edu
Big Blue: USU mascot speaks up
-continued from page 5
US: When the time comes to end being Big Blue, what will you miss the most? BB: I will miss being a part of something bigger than myself. This is something that allows me to be involved. I’m a representative of USU, a contributor. I will miss making a difference in individual things like Big Blue does. You can make a kid smile on a down day, get a crowd excited,
make a kid’s day at a hospital. Sometimes we go do pep rallies or sign autographs for kids at Shriners Hospital at University of Utah. Some of these kids are terminally ill, have spinal disorders which put them out for years, so it is fun to see their faces light up. US: What can a game crowd do to help you out the most? BB: The bigger the crowd is, the
easier it is. You feed off of that. It gives you the energy you need to do your job. US: What else would you like to tell the USU student body? BB: Live life every minute as if everybody was watching and nobody knew who you were. Be confident. Don’t care what people think about you. -brittny.jo@aggiemail.usu.edu
Page 9
FridaySports
Nov. 2, 2007
Morrill wants urgency By SAM BRYNER senior writer
AGGIE GUARD TAYLOR RICHARDS drives down the court during Wednesday night’s 92-53 victory in the Spectrum over the Utah Pride. Richards scored nine points and dished out three assists. USU forward Jamelah Brown led the Aggies with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, six rebounds and three assists. The Aggies host NAIA College of Idaho, Saturday at 5 p.m. TYLER LARSON photo
Pride humbled
Pebley said. “Everybody played.” USU came out scoring in the opening quarter, netting six points within six minutes. Brown Aggie women’s basketball won its season opener brought experience and leadership to the floor with 11 first-quarter points. in the Spectrum Wednesday night over the Utah USU junior guard Ana Perez was first off the Pride, 92-53. bench for the Aggies. From there, Pebley was able Senior forward Jamelah Brown banked a gameto utilize the time to identify the team’s strengths, high 17 points, leading the team to victory. Junior she said. guard Danyelle Snelgro and “I was really happy with everybody,” senior forward Jenny Gross both Pebley said. “We saw some mistakes netted 12 points. out there, but we saw some good things This exhibition game was and a place we know we can start from meant to allow USU a chance to USU 92 and where we can build from. I feel like see rookie and returning playUtah Pride 53 it’s a higher place than where we were ers in action prior to the official last year.” season, Pebley said. The game A team of former Utah college basoffered freshman guard Alice Coddington time to score seven points coming off the bench. “We definitely were able to get some kids out - See PRIDE, page 11 there with some experience,” Head Coach Raegan By ERIN WADSWORTH staff writer
GameOver
Aggies trying again for win No. 1 vs. Fresno By SAMMY HISLOP sports editor
One year and 26 days ago was the last time the Utah State football team did it. They won. It was a cold, Homecoming night at Romney Stadium. The 05 Aggies took down the Fresno State Bulldogs, 13-12. This Saturday at 3 p.m., after losing all 14 since that victory, the Aggies travel to Fresno, Calif., to try to do it again, but as an 0-8 team. To say the least, it will be challenge for USU to beat the Western Athletic Conference’s third-best team in a place— Bulldog Stadium—the Aggies have never won in. The Aggies have lost 11 straight games on the road. “We know we’re going into a hostile environment,” Aggie Head Coach Brent Guy said. “It’s a great place to play at Fresno State. (The Bulldog fans) are going to holler and yell at you. I told (the team) that on Sunday, that as soon as you start heading down that ramp, stuff will start flying. That’s just the way it is, and that’s part of the Fresno State environment.” The Bulldogs suffered their first WAC loss last week, at home to the No. 21 Boise State Broncos. It was a game the Bulldogs led, 14-7, after Clifton Smith returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos went on to score 24 unanswered points and win, 34-21.
- See TRYING, page 10
Different year, same result. Utah State lost its opening exhibition game, 86-81, to EA Sports Wednesday night at the Spectrum. This was the third straight year that EA Sports has beat the Aggies. With just under two minutes left in the game, a steal and emphatic dunk by USU’s DeUndrae Spraggins gave Utah State an 8180 lead. Unfortunately for the 8,595 fans in attendance, those would be the last points of the game for Utah State. EA Sports went on to score six straight points and left the Aggies wondering what happened. “It looked to me like we couldn’t guard anybody,” USU Head Coach Stew Morrill said. “They’re not getting the message. I’ve been USU forward gary wilkinson (55) fights for trying to get to them loud and clear, but we’re a rebound with a player from EA Sports Wednesday night. not getting it.” Wilkinson led the Aggies with 18 points, six rebounds and four Utah State seemed to be in control of the assists. TYLER LARSON photo game late in the first half when they held a and mature team.” 42-33 lead with one minute left. However, Morrill said the team can look at the loss two a Tai Wesley turnover led to an easy layup for EA ways. First, they were beat by a very good, experiSports, which started a 6-0 run to end the half and enced team that was just bigger and stronger. Or decrease the Aggie lead to three, 42-39. second, they got outplayed. “The end of the first half was a “Anytime you get beat, you don’t joke,” Morrill said. “We had a pretty need to rationalize anything,” Morrill nice lead, and we had the second said. “We just got our butts whipped, group come in there and just give EA Sports 86 and they out-physicalled us, they outup stupid plays.” experienced us, and they outsmarted Morrill said looking at the stat USU 81 us.” sheet is easy evidence as to why Morrill specifically mentioned Utah State lost. “They shoot 58 percent from the floor and 70 from rebounding. Utah State was out-rebounded 29-24 for the game. The Aggies were able to pull in 12 the 3,” Morrill said. “That will get you beat. I don’t offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points. care who you play.” Unfortunately, they also gave up 10 offensive boards The Aggies, on the other hand, shot 48.3 percent to EA Sports. from the field and only 30 percent from beyond the “We got to take it personally if we get out-rebound3-point line. ed—especially as post players,” Wilkinson said. EA Sports was led by former Boise State star After the game, there was one word thrown Roberto Bergersen, who scored 20 points, including around that Morrill said will be key for the Aggies to 4-of-5 from the 3-point line. Former Gonzaga player bounce back. Cory Violette chipped in 13 points. Urgency. “It’s a learning experience for us,” Aggie junior The team hasn’t had it, Morrill said, and they need forward Gary Wilkinson said. “We need to get betto get it if they are going to correct the errors they ter defensively, and I think that is what this game saw Wednesday night. showed us—where we stand and where we really “They’re correctable errors, but you better start need to improve.” paying attention. You’re not getting it,” Morrill said. Wilkinson led the way for the Aggies with 18 “I mean, you better start listening in the film room, points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior guard you better start feeling some urgency on the court Jaycee Carroll was held to only 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. “They had an idea on how to stop us tonight, espe- - See URGENCY, page 10 cially Jaycee,” Wilkinson said. “They are a very good
GameOver
Brotherly love By DAVID BAKER assistant sports editor
Kevin Robinson has been outrunning defenders to the end zone since he was a freshman at Utah State. But it wasn’t until this summer that Robinson was able to win a race against a different opponent — his brother, Aggie defensive backs coach John Rushing. “For the first time, he was finally able to beat me at 35 years old, so I don’t feel too bad,” Rushing said. “I wonder if he thinks he’s still faster JOHN RUSHING than me,” Robinson said. “I don’t know if he likes that (I beat him). I think he still needs to get in there and start training and we can get back out here and settle it again.” The competition was a friendly one, but it gets at a bigger question: Who’s the best athlete in the family? aggie wide receiver kevin robinson returns a Is it Robinson, the nation’s leader in punt for a touchdown against Nevada. Robinson and USU defensive backs coach John Rushing are brothers, 13 years apart. Rushing all-purpose yards per game? Or is it Rushing, the two-time All-American at was an All-American defender at Washington State and has been coaching at USU since 2003. TYLER LARSON photo Washington State?
“I think I passed him up on being the better football player,” Robinson said. “He’s probably going to deny it, but secretly, I think he knows I’m better than him now. We may have to fight about that in a couple of weeks, but I think I got him now. “Depending on who you talk to, pretty much, my family knows I’m better than him. He’ll never let it go and say, ‘(Kevin) is the better athlete out of the family.’ But we all know it’s all me now, taking over.” “Better offensive player,” Rushing rebutted. “I was a defensive player, and I was a freshman and a sophomore All-American, not just a freshman All-American. So I’ve got more plaques than he’s got.” The kidding was all in good fun, because when it comes down to it, Rushing — as a brother and an Aggie coach — is happy to see Robinson doing well and playing hard. “I’m happy he’s succeeding,” Rushing said. “The one thing I’m probably more proud of than anything is that he plays hard every game. That’s kind of something I did as a player and it’s good to see him do the same thing as a player, just come out and compete every week, no matter what the record is or what the situation is, just come out and give it your best every game.”
- See BROTHERS, page 11
StatesmanSports
Page 10
Urgency: Exhibition loss -continued from page 9 and in practice. I am the only one who has had enough urgency around here.” After a 20-minute post-game speech, Wilkinson seemed to finally understand what Morrill was talking about. “We need a sense of urgency and to have that day in and day out,” Wilkinson said. Morrill emphasized just because the Aggies were picked first in the preseason coaches poll for the Western Athletic Conference does not signify they are a good team “You’re not good because somebody says you’re good,” Morrill said. “You’re only good if you are good. We’re no different than the team that was picked to finish last in the WAC.” Next up for Utah State is its second and final exhibition game Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum. The Aggies will welcome Laval University from Quebec, Canada. Morrill said he hopes the Aggies will be able to now move on from any preseason hype and focus on being competitive. “Maybe we better realize that we haven’t even proven w’ere a competitive WAC team instead of thinking, ‘Oh, well some people think we’re pretty good,’” Morrill said. “We aren’t good right now.” -sam.bryner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
UVU snaps Aggies’ six-game win streak
By DAVID BAKER assistant sports editor
A trip to Orem Thursday night cooled off the red-hot Aggie volleyball team, as they were swept by Utah Valley, ending their six-match winning streak. For USU Head Coach Grayson DuBose, the loss was a product of a good Wolverine team, not the trip south. “(Utah Valley was) on fire in every single way you can be on fire,” he said. “They hit well. They blocked well. They served well. They were just better than us tonight.” It wouldn’t have been hard to outhit the Aggies (15-11, 9-4 in Western
Athletic Conference play), who hit a dismal .095 on the night. DuBose said they didn’t pass well, but credits the Wolverine servers for keeping the Aggies out of their offense and recording six aces. “We were out of system a lot more than we were in system, which makes it a challenge for our hitters,” he said. Senior opposite side hitter Amanda Nielson’s streak of six-straight matches with at least 24 kills also ended — she only had 14. Junior outside hitter Melissa Osterloh added 11 kills and 10 digs for USU. Osterloh has had a double-double in the last five matches. The loss was the first ever to Utah Valley. -da.bake@aggiemail.usu.edu
Trying: 13-12 win over Fresno St. last Ag victory
-continued from page 9
Last year’s loss to USU, Guy said, won’t be the Bulldogs’ main motivating factor to blow the Aggies off the field. The Bulldgogs (5-3, 4-1 in the WAC) are only one win away from being bowl-eligible. “I’ve already had a lot of questions about the revenge factor and all of that, but I really don’t think that is as big of factor for the Bulldog football team as what people want to make it out to be,” Guy said. “I think (Fresno State will) be as irritated as losing to Boise State last week at home as they will thinking about last year’s football game with us. Obviously they are still trying to get bowl-eligible, which is something that is probably just as important to them as who they’re playing the next game.” Aggie senior tight end/fullback Jimmy Bohm also downplayed any advantage the Aggies might have from beating the Bulldogs last year. “Each week in college football is a different week,” Bohm said. “Every team has a chance to beat
every team. This is the year of the upsets, it’s crazy out there. It’s been pretty exciting to watch. I go in with that mindset to leave last year in the past and focus on this year.” FOR MANY, CALIFORNIA A HOME AWAY FROM HOME There are 39 players on USU’s roster from California—including wide receiver Kevin Robinson and strong safety Roy Hurst, who are from Fresno. “We’ve got a lot of guys from California,” Bohm said. “A lot of guys have been anticipating this game for a long time. I know guys started trading their tickets for this game the first week of the season so they could get as many people at the game as they could.” The game will be the only nontelevised contest for the Aggies this season. TWO-QUARTERBACK TEAM Guy said as long as neither quarterback is playing well and moving the offense, he will continue to play both senior
quarterback Leon Jackson III and sophomore quarterback Jase McCormick. They split playing time last week versus Louisiana Tech. Jackson was 9-of-12 passing for 127 yards and one touchdown. McCormick was 8-of-14 for one touchdown and one interception. Also, on McCormick’s first play, he ran for a first down on a fourth-and-two. “I felt the same way after talking with (USU offensive coordinator) Darrell (Dickey) and some of the offensive staff and personnel,” Guy said. “We’ve created a good situation for both Jase and Leon. It’s going to be competitive. We’re going to be able to play both of them. Both guys bring something to the table, and it makes the other team adapt.” EVER THE OPTIMISTS Guy and the seniors are working diligently to keep team members’ heads up with only a third of the season remaining. “The Nevada game was real tough, followed by this La Tech
game,” Bohm said. “(These) are some real hard losses to take. Keeping guys mentally excited about the game is pretty much what us seniors and leaders on the team are trying to do.” Guy added, “Life is hard. Some days, some weeks, some months. For us it’s been quite a while. We’ve had a tough stretch to go through. We’re learning lessons. Some of these guys won’t realize it until later in life, but it is such a small part of their life that seems so big right now. I think back on my four years playing at Oklahoma State, and I can’t remember half of my teammates’ names, unfortunately, which is embarrassing now 25 years later. “That’s what I’ve tried to tell them, is that you need to take advantage of the opportunity you have right now because it is such a small window in your life that is very, very special, and you’re going to cherish it the rest of your life. Don’t take anything for granted.” -samuel.hislop@aggiemail.usu. edu
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StatesmanSports
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Pride: Ags roll in exhibition -continued from page 9 ketball players, the Utah Pride picked up in the last 10 minutes of the first half by cutting the Aggie’s lead to five at one point, but they would not be able to maintain the momentum. The Aggies led 40-21 at halftime. In the first half, the Pride shot 30.8 percent from the field compared to the Aggies’ 43.2 percent. With double the amount of players to rotate, Pebley said she was able to keep her team’s energy going throughout the game. “I feel like we played well, but I think there’s always room for improvement,” junior forward Lindsey Shipley said. “Now we know the areas we really need to focus on. Obviously this gives us more confidence. We can take where we left off last year and build from there. We’re not starting over again.” Utah Pride is made up of two of USU Shipley’s sisters, Emily Walbruch and Cami Kesler. Halfway into the second half, the Aggies led 53-28. From then, the Utah Pride was never able to cut the lead to less than 29. Shipley scored early, aiding the win with nine points. All but one Aggie scored. Junior forward Shawnta Pope gave the team a strong showing off the bench, Shipley said, saying all players were able to contribute something to the overall success of the team.
“It’s a good way to open up our season,” said USU senior guard Taylor Richards, who recorded nine points and three assists. “We needed something like that to give the whole team confidence with all the new girls we have. Seeing how we work together, we’ll have to make some adjustments. Now we know what to build on.” USU will host the College of Idaho Saturday in the Spectrum for its second and final exhibition game. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division II team finished last season 19-10. The lady Yotes run 40 minutes of trapping and full-court defense, Pebley said. Defensive strategies will be the main focus of the team while getting ready for Saturday’s game, she said. “We’re not going to be able to take a lot that we applied to this game into our next exhibition game,” Pebley said. “It’s going to be a lot of testing of our experience, decision making and composure.” Aggie regular season play kicks off on Nov. 9 when the Tigers of the University of the Pacific head to Logan. Nov. 16 marks the team’s first away game, as USU travels to Portland State University. “We’re looking for wins,” Brown said. “No losses. Wins. That’s it. We’re trying to go big this year.” - erin.wadsworth@aggiemail.
Brothers: Robinson and Rushing -continued from page 9 Since Rushing is in charge of punt returns, he can take part in Robinson’s success. But Rushing said his coaching is more about getting Robinson to follow his blocks and stay within the play than teaching him moves on the field. “Returning’s always been me,” Robinson said. “I don’t think he can take credit on this one. He may try to say, ‘You need to do this or that.’ But when I’m on the field, he knows I’m going to do me.” For the most part, Robinson may have punt returns under control, but Rushing said he has been able to help him get a defensive back’s perspective on Robinson the receiver. Rushing said in the off-season and after games, he will give Robinson tips about how to attack a certain cornerback technique or another part of Robinson’s route running. Despite the help and friendly competition, Robinson said he treats Rushing like a normal coach and feels he’s treated like a regular player. “I wouldn’t say he’s harder on me, but he does sometimes take out some of his aggression on me,” Robinson said. “You know that’s all love. That’s just him, his style of coaching, so I don’t take it personally, other people may, but like I said, I’ve lived with him.” The brothers, who are 13 years apart, have lived together as recently as Robinson’s freshman year, but the living arrangement didn’t last longer than that. “That got old really quick,” Rushing said about their living together. “It was time for him to get on his own, and I kind of wanted him to enjoy the true college experience and not be under my wing the whole time.” But it may have made sense for the two to share their first year in Logan together. Rushing had just left Montana State University to coach at USU, and Robinson had
left his home in Fresno, Calif., to be an Aggie. Although they arrived at the same time, Robinson said his choice to come to Utah State had little to do with Rushing’s presence on the staff. It may have had no part in his younger brother’s decision, but that doesn’t mean Rushing wasn’t recruiting Robinson. “I’ve kind of been recruiting him his whole life, basically,” Rushing said. In fact, Robinson was scheduled to make a visit to Montana State the last weekend of recruiting, but when Rushing was hired at Utah State, Robinson decided to visit Logan instead, Rushing said. Robinson’s decision came without any pressure from Rushing, he said, even though Rushing was recruiting his little brother. The rest is really history, as Rushing has been able to watch Robinson rack up returns, receptions and all-purpose yards. And, barring a minor miracle, Rushing will get to watch his brother surpass Emmett White as Utah State’s all-time leader in career all-purpose yards. Robinson only needs 73 yards to push his total of 5,799 over White’s 5,872-yard mark. No doubt that moment will be special, but Rushing said the whole experience has been a blessing. “I kind of missed a lot of his high school, and watching him mature on the football and athletically, and as a person,” he said. “I would come back home from college, or wherever I was at playing, and see him, and he was a lot bigger and a lot faster and all those things. So I got a chance, with both of us coming to Utah State, to see him grow as a freshman to a senior. “I’ve been lucky that I got to make up some time that we missed growing up.” -da.bake@aggiemail.usu.edu
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Page 11
Prepping for season finale By SETH R. HAWKINS editor in chief
After winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time this season, the USU soccer team is looking to make it three straight. With the Western Athletic Conference Tournament less than a week away, the Aggies still have one final obstacle in Louisiana Tech, whom they play Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field. A win over La Tech would mean more than another tally in the win column, it would be a sign Utah State is overcoming a winloss pattern that has plagued the team all season. “I think we feel good that we got the monkey off our backs in terms of winning games back to back,” USU Head Coach Heather Cairns said. “That was a big, important goal for us, playing two quality games in the span of a weekend. I think in general we’re playing some of our best soccer that we’ve played all season, so it’s great that that’s happening at the end of the season when you try to make a run for the NCAA Tournament.” The Aggies come into Saturday’s game ranked fourth in the WAC with a 4-2 conference record, an 8-10 mark overall and have clinched a berth in the tournament. Utah State is only one loss behind the three teams ahead in the WAC, having already beat one of three. The Lady Techsters come to Logan with a 0-5-1 conference
record, looking to vindicate close losses to the Aggies in the past two years. After just three years in the WAC, Louisiana Tech is looking for its first conference win ever. Luck may be on their side too as the first goal LTU scored against a WAC opponent was against USU last season. “Louisiana Tech is a team that has progressively gotten better,” Cairns said. “We have to go in expecting a really tight game. They haven’t had as many results in terms of wins, but they’re a much improved team from last year, so we have to be very respectful of them and bring our best game to beat them. I expect them to come out fired up, playing hard.” Playing their best game might not be too difficult for the Aggies with a string of forwards on hot streaks, led by freshman Lauren Hansen, who leads the team with six goals, junior Candice Clark and sophomore Erin Salmon, who Cairns said she credits for being dangerous in the attack. “I think our attack is looking better than it has been,” Cairns said. “We’re getting contributions from our midfield in terms of putting points on the board, and that’s made a difference. So I think our attack as a whole has just come a long ways.” Cairns said she is excited for the improving health and fitness of Salmon, who has played minimal minutes this season due to a knee injury. Cairns said she expects Salmon to play significant minutes in both halves, which will
USU sophomore forward erin salmon dribbles past Boise State’s Melanie Bohnet Oct. 14. The Aggies host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Saturday at 1 p.m. DEBRA HAWKINS photo
aid in scoring opportunities. Also on injury watch is team captain Dana Peart, who is slowly recovering from a leg injury. Practicing in a leg brace on Thursday, Cairns said Peart is improving but is not at full capacity. “She doesn’t look 100 percent, but the question is going to be can we use Dana at less than a 100 percent? And I think the answer to that is yes, we just have to figure out how much she’s capable of doing and how many minutes she capable of playing,” Cairns said. “You’ve got your top point getter who’s a senior who wants to come back and make a
difference. She’s got the mentality to help compensate for anything that’s going on with her body.” Despite some health concerns, Cairns said her team is playing with intensity and urgency, something she knows is necessary going into tournament play, which begins Thursday, Nov. 8, in Boise, Idaho. “This is getting toward do-ordie season,” Cairns said. “You have to switch your mentality a little bit. The wins and losses mean a little bit more this time of year, and come Thursday, they mean a lot more.” -seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu
Nov. 2, 2007 Page 12
Views&Opinion
editor@statesman.usu.edu statesman@cc.usu.edu
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AboutUs
Editor in Chief
Not the state’s job to provide comfort
Seth R. Hawkins News Editor
Assistant News Editor Liz Lawyer
T
he Salt Lake Tribune reported last week that liquor control commissioner Bobbie Coray, a resident of nearby Garden City, asked her fellow board members to consider implementing further control of liquor bottles in restaurants. According to the Tribune, the new rule would completely cover liquor bottles as to not offend non-drinking patrons of restaurants. Also, this just in: Utah is a conservative, LDS state. Alcohol is to Utahns as electricity is to the Amish. The very view of alcohol, or a flatscreen HDTV – depending on the culture – apparently sets people ablaze. As if the LDS influence in this proposed rule wasn’t apparent enough, the Tribune quoted Coray calling the new regulation “a Zion curtain” for Mormons who are offended by the multi-colored glass spirit bottles that adorn the bars at local restaurants like Chili’s and Iggy’s. We are in no way suggesting all LDS people are offended by the sight of alcohol bottles. In fact, emboldened by a faith in humanity – some would say is misplaced – we believe most Mormons and nonMormons alike are sensible, moderate people, who can coexist even on such a divisive issue as liquor. In the least, we would hope sensible people wouldn’t want to be seen as the crazy, extremist neighbor that has to close it’s eyes to differing viewpoints and lifestyles. What kind of thing would be covered up next to save our sensibilities? Women’s ankles and wrists? So we would hope there could be some sort of moderate presence in the discussion, a cooperation that proves everyone – drinker or non-drinker – could come to a solution that doesn’t make Utah fodder for late-night TV hosts. But that’s not the most disturbing thing Coray said in the Tribune article. Coray says in the Tribune the commission has a dual responsibility to make alcohol available for drinkers, and “at the same time not make anyone uncomfortable.” When did it become anyone’s job, particularly a state entity’s, to make sure no one is uncomfortable? Life isn’t comfortable. When was the last time this state entity, USU, assured your comfort? Anyone remember midterms? If our goal as a state is to keep people comfortable, then we are providing a path to empathy. Change doesn’t come from comfort. Issues aren’t dealt with when we recline comfortably, never challenged.
Animal rights activists take things too far
F
or years, I have watched with growing concern as my University of California, Los Angeles colleagues have been subjected to increasing harassment, violence and threats by animal rights extremists. In the last 15 months, these attempts at intimidation have included the placement of a Molotov cocktail-type device at a colleague’s home and another under a colleague’s car – thankfully, they didn’t ignite – as well as rocks thrown through windows, phone and e-mail threats, banging on doors in the middle of the night and, on several occasions, direct confrontations with young children. Then, several weeks ago, an article in The San Francisco Chronicle about the work I have been doing to understand and What others are treat nicotine addiction among saying about issues. adolescents informed readers that some of my research is done on primates. I was instantly on my guard. Would I be the next victim? Would the more extremist elements of the animal rights movement now turn their sights on me? The answer came this week when the Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for vandalism that caused between $20,000 and $30,000 worth of damage to my home after extremists broke a window and inserted a garden hose, flooding the interior. Later, in a public statement addressed to me, the extremists said they had been torn between flooding my house or setting it afire. Maybe I should feel lucky. Having come to the United States as the child of Holocaust survivors who had lost almost everything, I appreciate that perhaps “only in America” could I have fulfilled my dream of becoming a biomedical scientist, supported in doing research to reduce human suffering. But it is difficult for me to understand why the same country that was founded on the idea of freedom for all gives rise to an organization like the Animal Liberation Front, a shadowy group identified by the FBI as a domestic terrorism threat, which threatens the safety of researchers engaged in animal studies that are crucial to moving medicine forward. I have devoted my career to understanding how nicotine, methamphetamine and other drugs can hijack brain chemistry
Nat’lVoice
- See ANIMALS, page 13
Arie Kirk
Features Editor Manette Newbold Assistant Features Editor Brittny Goodsell Jones Sports Editor Samuel Hislop Assistant Sports Editor David Baker Copy Editor Rebekah Bradway Photo Editor
ForumLetters Sports debate of little value To the editor: This is just to say, the weekly sports debate between misters Baker and Bryner is a waste of print space. A sports debate is a great idea, but in this case, poorly executed. I am in constant shock at the lack of knowledge and apparent choice not to attempt to understand the subject before giving an opinion. Statements such as hockey not being a sport so who cares, I don’t know much about (insert sport/team here), so who gives a rip, and other such paragraphs having nothing to do with the question and only serve to dis-
Assistant Photo Editor Patrick Oden
Letters to the editor • A public forum
credit the persons speaking. It seems to have no purpose other than to tear one team down or flaunt ignorance about any given situation. The opening question in Wednesday’s edition, regarding the upcoming Sunday showdown between undefeated NFL teams New England Patriots or the Indianapolis Colts, is the last straw. One side said he loathes both teams and so choses the lesser of two evils, and the other admitted to not knowing/caring and went with a gut feeling. Where are the stats? The information on offense and defense? The quaterbacks could be compared (though not by saying “I hate one because he’s good looking and one because he has a lot of commercials”) or the differences in coaching.
Sports debates should present objective opinions, given after researching statistics and potential, not personal vendettas or a lack of caring about the outcome either way. If the individual does not know much about hockey, or baseball, or any other sport in question, some research should be done so at least a semi-educated opinion can be stated. When the questions presented can be answered in an intelligent, well informed, non-biased way, then the sports debate will be worth reading. Until then, it is a pathetic attempt at a sports-related comedy column and needs to be critically revisited as to its relevance to American sports. Kristen Encheff
Small town politics facing big money changes
I
just heard my childhood hometown is being corrupted. Scary part is I’m almost OK with it. The mayoral election is coming up in Rexburg, Idaho, with bigger politics than ever before. The one-term incumbent, Mayor Shawn Larsen, is hoping to maintain his position. In the most controversial local election anyone can remember (and some of these folk have quite the grasp on small town politics), the current city council president is challenging Larsen for the seat. This is the most expensive campaign season anyone has ever seen – unlike the national media, I’m not referring to the presidential election. As of Oct. 1, Donna Benfield, the challenger, has spent more than $12,000. Larsen is trying to stay in the game with once-successful habits. His bill is at about $4,000. When I first heard how much money was being spent, I thought, “It’s about time the local scene finally caught up with real politics.” The ‘progressivism’ I’m accustomed to in D.C. and in my university studies asserts that change is inevitable. Progress is good. The frightened small-town kid inside me whispers, “Don’t give up what you have trying to get what someone else prefers.” Rural American politics, you see, are different than the national show. Very different, and I’m beginning to believe they need to preserve the community’s culture. Being in D.C., I get a backstage pass before the show ever steps into the public arena. True to my hopeful ideology, some charac-
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YourTake Midterms
Tyler Larson
ters are exactly the same on as they are off ‘the stage.’ Others, on the other hand, take off their costume when the curtains close. It happens less than we fear but more than we all would prefer. It’s sad when I hear conflicting stories about officials and then witness something entirely different in the news. As a general rule, I tend to err on the side of the politician in assuming we don’t always see the big picture on the news. But big and little exceptions do take place. I still mean what I say when taking the pledge of allegiance, but are we really one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all? Well, this year’s mayoral candidates are free to spend what they want. I’ve worked with Benfield on occasion in various civic organizations and was, on a standard, impressed. I know the mayor well and have seen some of the effective steps he has taken to improve the city when the opportunity was ripe. He and other mayors have done excellent things to change the city at a pace everyone could handle. The only thing small communities hate is change. Well, that, and maybe that one neighbor who got caught doing you know what. If you know what I’m talking about ... Rexburg is really not unlike Cache Valley. Both are predominantly one religion. Both have a strong pioneer history. The weather is even about the same. Actually, my freshman
- See CHANGE, page 13 Tell us what you think.
Submit a letter to the editor at www.utahstatesman.com Halfway through. Say it again, halfway through. By this time in the semester, students have a pretty good feel for what the remainder of the semester is going to be like. Students know how teachers will grade and just what’s expected of them. Their heads are also full of a lot of information. Just when the homework, papers and group projects start piling up, teachers throw in a midterm to make things interesting. Now, attention has to be diverted to cram half a semester’s worth of information in order to regurgitate it on the midterm exam and then promptly forget about it and get back to the Monday Night Football and the start of the NBA season. Are midterm exams effective? Do students need these tests to effectively prepare for final? Do midterm tests accurately measure learning? Should they be worth a heavy percentage of a student’s grade? What’s your take? Tell us at www.utahstatesman.com/messageboard.
Editorial Board Seth R. Hawkins Arie Kirk Liz Lawyer David Baker Manette Newbold Brittny Goodsell Jones
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Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Views&Opinion
Page 13
Change: Hometown politics changing
-continued from page 12
year I called my family in Idaho to warn them of some killer winter storm just leaving Cache Valley and headed their way. About one week ago I visited my hometown. I took an opportunity to drive down memory lane. I almost drove into the river next to it unfortunately, but managed to come out alive. The smell of a rare desert rain and the few fallen leaves took me back to Idaho autumns and getting ready for seventh grade in the mornings. I seem to only remember how much I love my hometown when I get to visit. Did you know my hometown isn’t all that
different from your hometown? I wonder if I’ll find old familiarities still intact next time I go home. Or will it have changed too much? Jacob Fullmer is a junior in political science and journalism taking mental visits to a hometown he knows doesn’t exist just as he remembered it. E-mail him at j.fullmer@aggiemail. usu.edu
Animals: Don’t damage critical work
-continued from page 12
and leave the affected individual at the mercy of his or her addiction. My personal connection to addiction is rooted in the untimely death of my father, who died of complications of nicotine dependence. My work on the neurobiology of addiction has spanned three decades of my life – most of this time as a senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health. To me, nothing could be more important than solving the mysteries of addiction and learning how we can restore a person’s control over his or her own life. Addiction robs young people of their futures, destroys families and places a tremendous burden on society. Animal studies allow us to test potential treatments without confounding factors, such as previous drug use and other experiences that complicate human studies. Even more important, they allow us to test possibly lifesaving treatments before they are considered safe to test in humans. Our animal studies address the effects of chronic drug use on brain functions, such as decision-making and self-control, that are impaired in human addicts. We are also testing potential treatments, and all of our studies comply with federal laws designed to ensure humane care. While monkeys receive drugs in the laboratory, they do not become “addicted” in the same sense that humans become addicted. Still, we are able to see how changes in brain chemistry alter the way the brain works – knowledge that is vital to the design of effective medications. My colleagues and I place a huge value on the welfare of our research subjects. We constantly strive to minimize the risk to them; however, a certain amount of risk is neces-
sary to provide us with the information we need in a rigorously scientific manner. Since the incident at my house, our research has gotten a lot of attention. Some anti-smoking groups have raised questions about the fact that our work was funded by Philip Morris USA. Is it moral to allow the tobacco industry to fund research on addiction? My view is that the problem of tobacco dependence is enormous, and the resources available for research on the problem are limited. It would, therefore, be immoral to decline an opportunity to increase our knowledge about addiction and develop new treatments for quitting smoking, especially when teens are involved. Few people are untouched by the scourge of addiction in their friends or family. It is through work like ours that the understanding of addiction expands and gives rise to hope that we can help people like my father live longer, healthier lives. Thousands of other scientists use laboratory animals in other research, giving hope to those afflicted with a wide variety of ailments. Already, one scientist at UCLA has announced that he will not pursue potentially important studies involving how the brain receives information from the retina, for fear of the violence that animal rights radicals might visit on his family. We must not allow these extremists to stop important research that advances the human condition. Edythe London, special to the Los Angeles Times, is a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Come write for The Utah Statesman. Apply at TSC 105. Bring samples and a resumé.
Page 14
World&Nation
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
No water for 145 Tenn. residents ORME, Tenn. (AP) – As twilight falls over this Tennessee town, Mayor Tony Reames drives up a dusty dirt road to the community’s towering water tank and begins his nightly ritual in front of a rusty metal valve. With a twist of the wrist, he releases the tank’s meager water supply, and suddenly this sleepy town is alive with activity. Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run. About three hours later, Reames will return and reverse the process, cutting off water to the town’s 145 residents. The severe drought tightening like a vise across the Southeast has threatened the water supply of cities large and small, sending politicians scrambling for solutions. But Orme, about 40 miles west of Chattanooga and 150 miles northwest of Atlanta, is a town where the worstcase scenario has already come to pass: The water has run out. The mighty waterfall that fed the mountain hamlet has been reduced to a trickle, and now the creek running through the center of town is dry. Three days a week, the volunteer fire chief hops in a 1961 fire truck at 5:30 a.m. — before the school bus blocks the narrow road — and drives a few miles to an Alabama fire hydrant. He meets with another truck from nearby New Hope, Ala. The two drivers make about a dozen
runs back and forth, hauling about 20,000 gallons of water from the hydrant to Orme’s tank. “I’m not God. I can’t make it rain. But I’ll get you the water I can get you,” Reames tells residents. Between 6 and 9 every evening, the town scurries. Residents rush home from their jobs at the carpet factories outside town to turn on washing machines. Mothers start cooking supper. Fathers fill up water jugs. Kids line up to take showers. “You never get used to it,” says Cheryl Evans, a 55-year-old who has lived in town all her life. “When you’re used to having water and you ain’t got it, it’s strange. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned on the faucet before remembering the water’s been cut.” “You have to be in a rush,” she says. “At 6 p.m., I start my supper, turn on my washer, fill all my water jugs, take my shower.” During its peak in the 1930s, Orme (rhymes with “storm”) boasted a population of thousands, a jail, three schools and a hotel. But those boom times are long gone. After the coal miners went on strike in the 1940s, the company shut down the mine and the town has never been the same. Not a single business is left in Orme. The only reminder of the town’s glory days is an aging wooden rail depot that sits three feet above the eerily quiet streets. Although changes are coming — cable TV
London police guilty
LONDON (AP) – London’s police force was found guilty Thursday of endangering the public during a frantic manhunt for four failed suicide bombers that led to the killing of an innocent Brazilian man on a subway train. Police had staked out an address belonging to two of the failed bombers at dawn on July 22, 2005. It was less than 24 hours after the attackers’ devices failed to ignite on three subway cars and a doubledecker bus. Police feared they were set on trying to strike again. The manhunt unfolded with the British capital already on edge after four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters two weeks earlier. The officers watching the building trailed Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, out of the apartments, suspecting he was one of the bombers. They followed him onto two buses, into a subway station and finally into a train. There, officers, believing he was a bomber, shot him seven times at close range in front of morning commuters. On Thursday, a jury found police guilty of breaking health and safety laws. Judge Richard Henriques ordered the Metropolitan Police to pay a total of $1.16 million for breakdowns in the operation. “One person died and many others were placed in potential danger,” Henriques said after the verdict. The judge acknowledged the manhunt had been “a unique and difficult operation.” “This was very much an isolated breach brought about by quite extraordinary circumstances,” he said. The force had denied the charge, saying the killing was an error, not a crime. Outside London’s Central Criminal Court, police chief Ian Blair expressed “my deep regret” over de Menezes’ death. “No police officer set out on that day to shoot an innocent man,” he said. “I am certain that this death was the culmination of actions by many hands, all of whom were doing their best to handle a terrible threat facing London on that day — a race against time to find the failed suicide bombers of the day before.” Blair said he had no intention of resigning after the verdict. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he had “full confidence” in the police chief, despite opposition calls for Blair to step down. Blair did not rule out an appeal. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the government doesn’t consider that the decision closes the case. “Although without specifying the individuals
responsible for the tragedy, the decision recognizes the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police in the case and opens the way for new initiatives in favor of the family of that innocent Brazilian citizen,” the statement said. No individual officers were charged over de Menezes’ death. The foreman of the jury told the court that blame should not rest with Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, the officer in charge of the operation. Prosecutors claimed “fundamental failures” at all levels led to the death of de Menezes. Police thought the Brazilian might have been Hussain Osman, who dropped his gym membership card at the scene of one of the failed attacks. An officer who was meant to identify him as he came out was away “relieving himself,” prosecutor Clare Montgomery told the court. The surveillance officers asked the Scotland Yard control room several times if they should arrest him, but were told to wait for a firearms team to arrive, Montgomery said. She described the chaos at police headquarters, claiming an officer responsible for listening to messages could not hear what was being said because colleagues not involved in the case crammed into the room to listen to events unfold. Despite officers’ doubts about his identity, Dick testified she was told five times that the man police were following was Osman. de Menezes An officer called out on the radio that the man being pursued was “our man” and was acting “nervous and twitchy,” a firearms officer testified. The marksmen could be seen running down the subway station’s escalator in security video footage shown to jurors. A surveillance officer, identified as “Ivor,” described following de Menezes into the subway car, grabbing him and pinning him to his seat when he realized firearms officers were there. He shouted: “Here he is.” The armed officers shot de Menezes five times in the head, once in the neck and once in the shoulder. Police lawyer Ronald Thwaites told the jury that de Menezes was shot because he had behaved suspiciously and “because when he was challenged by police he did not comply with them but reacted precisely as they had been briefed a suicide bomber might react at the point of detonating his bomb.”
arrived just a few years ago — cell phones still don’t work there. The main road into town is barely wide enough for two cars to pass one another. Dogs wander the streets, farm animals can be heard all around town, and kids gather outside the one-room City Hall to ride their bikes. “It’s like walking back in time. It’s NeverNever Land here,” says Ernie Dawson, a 47-yearold gospel singer who grew up in Orme. Water restrictions in Orme are nothing new. But residents say it’s never been this bad. Even last summer, as the water supply dwindled, city leaders cut off water only at night. But in August, Reames took the most extreme step yet and restricted use to three hours a day. Elected in December, he has now spent $8,000 of the city’s $13,000 annual budget to deal with the crisis. Most of the money went toward trucking water from Alabama. He has tried to fill the gaps with modest fundraisers, but it hasn’t been easy. A Halloween carnival last week cleared about $375 and a dog show two weeks ago made $300. The town has received a $377,590 emergency grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Reames hopes will be Orme’s salvation. A utility crew is laying a 20-mile pipe to connect Orme to the Bridgeport, Ala., water supply. The work could be finished by Thanksgiving. “It’s not a short-term solution,” Reames says. “It is THE solution.” He says the crisis in Orme could serve as a warning to other communities to conserve water before it’s too late. “I feel for the folks in Atlanta,” he says, his
Tony Reames releases the water from the water tank to the 145 residents of Orme, Tenn., Wed., Oct. 31. The drought has threatened the water supply of large cities as well as small, but the water in Orme has run out. Water is trucked in from Alabama several days each week, and Reames turns it on for about three hours a day. AP photo
gravelly voice barely rising above the sound of rushing water from the town’s tank. “We can survive. We’re 145 people. You’ve got 4.5 million people down there. What are they going to do? It’s a scary thought.”
Utah is just one state voting on school issues SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Utah voters will decide Tuesday whether to adopt the country’s first statewide school voucher program that would be open to anyone. The referendum could influence efforts elsewhere to use tax dollars for private school tuition. Utah’s voucher law would grant $500 to $3,000, depending on family income, for each child sent to private school. Unlike other voucher plans geared toward low-income students or those in failing schools, Utah’s plan would be available to anyone, even affluent families in well-performing districts. It’s one of several noteworthy ballot measures confronting voters in six states in the off-year election. Topics include stem cell research in New Jersey, gambling in Maine and a hefty cigarette tax hike in Oregon to fund health insurance for children. Utah’s hotly disputed voucher law won approval by one vote in the Republican-controlled Legislature in February. The law was suspended before taking effect when opponents gathered more than 120,000 signatures to force an up-or-down referendum vote. “It’s unusual for someone to say ‘As goes Utah, so goes the nation.’ But this is a huge national issue,” said Kim Campbell, president of the state’s teachers union, the Utah Education Association, which opposes the measure. Supporters of vouchers say the program would reduce crowding in public schools and give parents more choices. Children already in private schools would not qualify. Critics say the money would be better spent in public schools. Utah spent less per student,
$5,257, than any other state in 2005, according to the Census Bureau. And the school system must deal with the state’s highest-in-the-nation birth rate. Lawmakers set aside $9 million for the first year of the program, but the tab would grow. Ceola Miller, a single mother with a fifth-grader at a suburban Salt Lake City public school, wants vouchers. Her daughter, Ebonee, switched from private school this year because tuition became unaffordable. “I don’t necessarily think the private school is better in any other way, except they have a smaller number of kids in the class. She gets more attention,” Miller said. Her daughter is in a class of 33 now. In the private school, her class had 15 students. To promote their positions, both sides have spent millions of dollars, much of it on television ads. Overstock.com chief executive Patrick Byrne and family members gave more than $2.7 million to the pro-voucher campaign. The National Education Association has spent more than $3.1 million to defeat it. Public opinion polls show support for vouchers at around 40 percent. Quin Monson, a Brigham Young University political science professor, believes Utah voters would embrace a more limited program targeting lowand middle-income families. “If you’re a state that has a referendum, you want to be a little less ambitious,” he said. Most voucher programs — such as those in Milwaukee and Cleveland — are aimed at low-income students in poorly performing schools. Some voucher advocates believe success in Utah will persuade other states to expand their programs or cre-
ate new ones. “It would certainly make states on the cusp of it, like Arizona and Texas, more likely to do so,” said Clint Bolick, director of the Center for Constitutional Litigation at the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix. “Louisiana just elected a very school-choice governor. I think Utah’s program would reverberate in the bayous,” Bolick said. Among the noteworthy ballot items elsewhere: — In Oregon, a measure to raise the cigarette tax by 84.5 cents a pack — to $2.02 — to fund health insurance for about 100,000 children now lacking coverage. Tobacco companies opposing the measure have outspent supporters by a 4-1 margin, contributing nearly $12 million. The campaign has, in many ways, mirrored the debate in Congress over the Democrats’ vetoed proposal to boost spending on children’s health care by raising the federal cigarette tax. — In New Jersey, a measure authorizing the state to borrow $450 million over 10 years to finance stem cell research. The Roman Catholic Church and anti-abortion groups oppose the measure, which was placed on the ballot by the Legislature with strong backing from Gov. Jon Corzine. — In Washington, a measure requiring that any tax increase by the Legislature must win a two-thirds majority. — In Texas, a proposal to create a cancer research institute and authorize up to $3 billion in bonds over 10 years to finance it. — In Maine, a measure that would allow the Passamaquoddy Indians to operate a racetrack casino with up to 1,500 slot machines in the hard-up town of Calais.
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StatesmanBack Burner
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Page 16
Check www.utahstatesman.com for complete calendar listings
Friday
Saturday
Monday
- USU Photoguild Exhibit, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Twain Tippetts Exhibition Hall. - USU Water Initiative CUAHSI Cyberseminar - Jay Famiglietti, UC Irvine, 1 to 2 p.m., Engineering Building. - USU Big Band Swing CLub, 7 to 9:30 p.m., HPER. - Utah State Theatre Production: ‘Urinetown,’ 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Morgan Theatre. - USU Chambers Singers, 7:30 p.m., Performance Hall. - Wind Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m., Kent Concert Hall.
- Utah State at Fresno State tailgate, 12 to 2 p.m. - 4-H Aggie Adventure for Kids, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. - USU women’s soccer vs. Louisiana Tech, 1 p.m. - USU football @ Fresno State, 3 p.m. - USU women’s basketball vs. Albertson’s College, 5 p.m., Spectrum. - USU men’s basketball vs. Laval University, 7:05 p.m., Spectrum. - Elite Hall lessons and dancing, 7 to 11:30 p.m. - Elite Hall benefit swing dance, 7 to 11:55 p.m. - Utah State Theatre Production: ‘Urinetown,’ 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Morgan Theatre.
- 7th annual Biotechnology Teacher Symposium, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Biotechnology Building. - Mitten Tree kick-off, all day, TSC. - Books & Buddies, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. - USU women’s volleyball, 8 p.m.
Nov. 2
Nov. 3
Nov. 5
Married group
Poem and a drink
Hey married people, come check out the newest group on campus. “Hubbies and Hunnies” is here to help you network, get involved, and meet other couples. First activity Tuesday Nov. 6, 7:45 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Poetry and a Beverage, Saturday, Nov. 3, 9 p.m. in the HUB. Come after the basketball game for a free drink and music.
Campus Recreation Campus Recreation would like to see if students would like to see a women’s-only swim time, starting in the spring of ‘08. Female lifeguard. What time would be the best: Friday at 3:30-4:45 p.m. or 7:30-9 p.m., and Saturday at 2-3:30 p.m. Please e-mail bill.bauer@usu. edu or stop in HPER 123 and let us know. Campus Recreation would like to see if there is interest in free swimming lessons on Saturday at 10 a.m.- 11 a.m. starting Spring semester 2008. Please e-mail bill. bauer@usu.edu or HPER 123 and sign up for the class.
USU wrestling
USU Wrestling’s first home meet against Idaho State is Saturday, Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m. in the Nielson Fieldhouse. Everyone is welcome.
Benefit dance Elite Hall Benefit Swing Dance Featuring the Larry Smith Jazz Combo Saturday, Nov. 3 from 7 p.m. to midnight. Lessons are taught from 7 to 8 p.m. Cost: $10 per person or $15 per couple. Proceeds go toward the preservation of Elite Hall. For more information, visit www.usu.edu/swing
More to remember ...
Parenting skills
• Flu shots available at the Student Health and Wellness Center for students. Hours 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $22. • Friday, Nov. 2: Religion in Life with Wall Odd at 11:30 a.m. in the Institute Cultural Center. Wally Odd is the Executive Director of USU Alumni Relations.
Attention all parents or future parents: Tuesday Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. in the TSC Ballroom, the USU Counseling Center will sponsor a Parenting Skills Seminar. Workshops, panel, door prizes, and refreshments.
Flying McCoys • G&G Mccoy Brain Waves • B. Streeter
Lunch for $1 will follow. Cream of Potato or Broccoli soup and bread sticks. • Children under the age of 18 are allowed to use the University recreation facilities only accompanied by a parent or legal guardian that have a current USU ID. So let’s play ball and stay fit with our family. • Dominican Student Association Blast-off 2 at NVO, Saturday, Nov. 3, 9 p.m. Hip-hop, salsa, meringue, regaeton, DJ Poppy, $3 per person • Fighting for a Chance, a USU student group, is hosting a benefit dinner to raise money for the micro-loan program. For $30 a plate, come learn more about this program and enjoy dinner at the CopperMill restaurant on Nov. 7, 7 pm. Please RSVP by Nov. 3 to w.lamborn@aggiemail.usu.edu • Early voting, TSC Juniper Lounge, Thursday, Nov. 1 and Friday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. • How We Got The Bible. An intellectually challenging seminar Nov. 2, 7 p.m. and Nov. 3 at 9 a.m. 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Question and answer session after each presentation. Old Main 225 • Sabrina Romney viola recital, Friday, Nov. 2, 5 p.m., Tippetts Art Gallery.
Pearls Before Swine • Steve Pastis
Join us f the Mace or y’s Studen Party 2 h t Tailgate o each ho urs before game at me football Stadium the Romney So parking louth West food, fun t for , an prizes. d
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