April 17, 2023- The Utah Statesman- Utah State University

Meet your new Miss USU: Regan Tracy

By Kate Stewart NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Utah State University student Regan Tracy was crowned Miss USU 2023 in the annual Miss USU pageant on April 11, held by the USU Student Alumni Association.

Tracy represented the College of Engineering as Miss Engineering and competed against 12 other contestants. Tracy is a junior at USU and originally from West Point, Utah.

“I realized that you know, life is short and you should do things that you want to do, and I’ve always wanted to do a pageant just once in my life because my mom was a pageant girl,” Tracy said.

In a text exchange with The Statesman, contestant Ally Moss, who won Miss People’s Choice, said, “Reagan was a light from day one, she made everyone so excited about everything. From dance practices, flming our intros, to backstage, she always made me feel wanted and excited. If the Miss USU contestants were a family, she’d be the Mama Bear.”

In her free time, Tracy said she loves to do anything related to the outdoors. She is an avid hiker, backpacker and reader, and she enjoys painting.

She is majoring in mechanical engineering with an aerospace emphasis and minoring in biomathematics and electrical engineering.

“I like to have the attitude of my grandfather who’s a lifelong learner,” Tracy said. “I just want to learn everything that I possibly can because it’s really cool to just see how our world works and then also just have a skill set, you know, a jack of all trades.”

Tracy said she felt encouraged to sign up for the Miss USU pageant because she thought it would be a great way to represent her college and talk about something she feels passionate about.

Her platform will encourage collaboration between different colleges on campus, as well as collaboration between the statewide campuses.

“I defnitely want to encourage club collaboration, especially within the College of Science and the College of Engineering, because just typically right now, what I see is everybody is kind of in their own little areas, and I think we could get so much more done

if we just team up together,” Tracy said.

Tracy said she is hoping to bring a broader representation of STEM careers to all kids in Cache Valley, especially middle school students.

At the pageant, Emily Lundquist, Miss USU 2022, passed the crown to Tracy.

In a text exchange with The Statesman, Lundquist said, “If you know Regan, you know she is driven in everything that she does. She has a lot of passion for the platform she presented and worked really hard in preparing it. I am confdent that she will accomplish great things over the next year.”

Moss said, “She’s always ready to lift and love. She has a natural ability to listen and serve in powerful ways. She will thrive as Miss USU, truly we are in incredible hands with Reagan front and center.”

Tracy said she is very involved with the College of Engineering, but is looking forward to working with people from other departments.

“I’m really excited to work with people with all different backgrounds and experiences, and just to see a whole new side of the university that I haven’t seen before,” Tracy said.

Tracy said she enjoyed getting to know the contestants who participated in the pageant with her; her favorite part was the group camaraderie.

“I’m just so lucky that I got to branch out from my college and meet these girls who are part of the university and just get to know them, get to know their platforms and just truly become better friends,” Tracy said.

Tracy read an original poem for her talent portion of the pageant. She said she uses her poetry as a way to motivate others.

She has participated in USU’s PoBev events since she was a frst-year student.

According to Tracy, poetry has helped her step outside of her comfort zone in regards to public speaking.

“Nothing ever good came from a comfort zone — you don’t grow when you stay in your little circle,” Tracy said.

PHOTOS BY Claire Ott

Miss Engineering Regan Tracy is announced as the winner of the Miss USU Pageant in the TSC Ballroom on Tuesday, April 11.

Kate Stewart is a junior studying journalism and marketing. Kate is from the Portland, Oregon area and loves all things outdoors, family, friends and thrifting.

Meet Miss USU Eastern: Irylan Tomlinson

By Alivia Hadfeld NEWS STAFF REPORTER

On March 25, Irylan Tomlinson was crowned Miss USU Eastern 2023.

“I was just very excited to be able to participate in the pageant. I was able to become really close with the other contestants — I was very grateful,” Tomlinson said.

Tomlinson’s decision to compete in the pageant was based on school pride.

“I really love the school. I think it’s a great little community and I just have so much love for it,” Tomlinson said. “I just met so many amazing people and just wanted to be able to give back to the school.”

Tomlinson has been competing in pageants her whole life and has won many titles over the years. Her most notable titles are Miss Duchesne County’s Outstanding Teen, Miss UBIC’s Outstanding Teen and third runner up at Miss Utah’s Outstanding Teen.

“Pageants have kind of always been something that I have loved to do, and I think they’re really empowering,” she said.

When asked if she plans to compete in future pageants, Tomlinson said she has an open mind.

“I might possibly in the future, but I haven’t really thought that far yet,” she said.

Leading up to the pageant, Tomlinson attended many rehearsals and bonded with the other six contestants and Miss USU Eastern 2022, Brooklyn Ward.

“We were able to rehearse our talents, rehearse our evening gown walks and our opening number,” Tomlinson said. “Overall it was just a really good experience to even compete in the pageant and just meet so many people.”

She also talked highly of the other contestants.

“I think it was an amazing competition and all the contestants were beautiful, each one of them deserves the world — they all bring something so unique and I am defnitely just proud of all of us for going out and doing something that’s out of our comfort zones,” Tomlinson said.

Miss USU Eastern is different from other pageant programs in Utah and only has three areas of competition: talent, evening gown and onstage question.

Tomlinson’s favorite competition portion is talent. For the Miss USU Eastern competition, she performed a dance number to the

song “Rescued” by Lauren Daigle to raise awareness for human traffcking.

Tomlinson’s passion for dance was a major factor in her decision to attend USU Eastern. She admitted she never thought she would end up there.

“I actually had a totally different plan for myself and all of my plans A, B, C and D fell through,” Tomlinson said. “I decided kind of last minute that I was going to try out for the dance team and I ended up making the team.”

Last week, the USU Eastern dance team went to Nationals in Florida and won third in hip hop and fourth in jazz.

Tomlinson plans to keep dancing for the USU Eastern dance team next year, with her new title and crown.

Alivia Hadfeld is a frst-year student and loves being an Aggie. Alivia’s other passions include songwriting, reading and competing in pageants.

— Alivia.Hadfeld@usu.edu

PHOTO COURTESY OF Irylan Tomlinson

Miss USU Eastern 2023 Irylan Tomlinson after she won the pageant on March 25.

Elizabeth Smart Foundation teaches self-defense to students

By Andie Allen NEWS STAFF REPORTER

The sound of 26 students screaming, “No!” flled the HPER building’s gym on April 5.

The campus safety task force, under Utah State University’s Logan campus student body vice president, planned the self-defense training class with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation’s Smart Defense program.

Lizzy Larsen, the task force’s director of campus safety, said, “This whole year we have been working on self-defense and making this campus safer for people who go here. We wanted an opportunity to have a self-defense class that was free of charge for students.”

The two-hour seminar was an introduction to the self-defense program according to Miyo Strong, the Smart Defense program director.

“We went over basic striking, situational awareness and bystander awareness — as well as learning how to use our voice paired with martial arts techniques,” Strong said.

The 26 students screamed exclamations as they practiced palm or knee striking the four padded instructors. The voice is the frst tool one can use while warding off a potential or actual attacker, according to Strong. It also helps to regulate breathing while fghting back.

“Our program is a blend of three different martial arts: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai kickboxing and Krav Maga,” Strong said.

Along with palm and knee striking, Strong and her three colleagues showed the students how to overpower and choke a perpetrator while they were lying on their backs.

The students practiced with their peers and were given the choice of working with the two male instructors.

One of the 26 students in attendance was Parker Rollins, a USU student studying outdoor product design and development.

“It was really cool to learn some of the moves I wouldn’t have instinctively done and get some hands-on experience with both my friends and also men who are physically different,” Rollins said.

The instructors promised the students that enthusiastic consent was important to their lesson and encouraged the students to get out of their comfort zone.

“It is very uncomfortable for people to do what we do, but we ask that people push their comfort zones a bit while they are in here with us, so they can gain a full experiential treatment and gain the knowledge they need to take into the real world,” Strong said.

After practicing breathing-focused meditation, the class ended with each person individually complimenting themselves verbally.

Larsen said the class was a trial run to see if they should offer more training like this in the future.

Strong hopes to have a class in the fall dedicated to self-defense with the Smart Defense program.

“Our goal is to empower and educate women on

the realities of sexual violence. Unfortunately, college women are a high-risk group. So, we really want to reach that group,” Strong said.

Larsen and Rollins both believe the course was very empowering.

“It was awesome to get that training to learn what I could and should do in a situation like this — defnitely helps me feel safer,” Rollins said.

PHOTO BY Elise Gottling

An instructor from the Smart Defense class talks to attendees at the HPER building on Wednesday, April 5.

PHOTO BY Elise Gottling

USU junior Lorenzo Papworth practices self-defense moves with an instructor at the Smart Defense class in the HPER on Wednesday, April 5.

Andie Allen is a senior studying English and journalism. Outside of writing, Andie loves the sun, reading and watching her to-be-read list grow.

800 Block open for leasing after multiple delays

By Savannah Burnard NEWS STAFF REPORTER

After over a year of delays, 800 Block, an off-campus student housing site, is open for leasing.

Owned by Nelson Partners, 800 Block opened for leasing on March 14 and welcomed its frst move-in that same day. The grand opening came after building delays and postponed resident move-ins.

According to a previous Statesman article in July 2021, after a year of construction, would-be tenants received emails from Nelson Partners that the original move-in date of Aug. 28 would be delayed.

According to the article, the move-ins were postponed due to numerous supply chain issues and labor shortage.

“Pandemic-related supply chain issues and delays were frustrating for our team and diffcult for students who couldn’t wait to move in,” said Jenni Walker, director of corporate marketing and communications for Nelson Partners.

Paula Platt, the vice president of portfolio for Nelson Partners, said over email while 800 Block is open for leasing, the building currently holds a temporary occupancy permit. Platt said this permit will become permanent after landscaping is completed.

“With the recent extreme weather around the university, we are completing landscaping and adding to the beautiful exterior of the building. We look forward to a warmer spring and summer, at which point we will open our hot tub and present our post-winter landscaping,” Platt said.

Platt said with completed landscaping, 800 Block will offer a range of outdoor areas for USU students to socialize and study.

Other amenities include private study rooms, individual washers and dryers, and a covered parking garage.

With its location next to campus, Platt said they welcome students that want a pedestrian-to-campus living space.

Over text message, Navie Powell, an incoming frst-year student, said she loved her experience receiving an indepth tour of 800 Block.

“Their workers are super nice and

ready to answer any questions. The building also has a super nice location,” Powell said.

Powell said she ultimately chose to sign a lease from 800 Block because of its close proximity to USU.

“It’s one of the closest complexes, and is located right next to the Aggie Recreation Center! It’s great for students who don’t really want to worry about parking and getting to their classes on time,” Powell said.

However, some Google reviews show 800 Block is still facing criticism.

“Has been under construction for 4 years, sold leases and cancelled them at least twice. My experience with the ‘management’ company have been terrible. They will try and take your money and give nothing in return. Avoid at all costs,” Andrew Walker said in a review posted at the beginning of April.

While people have mixed feelings about 800 Block, Barrie Nichols, the vice president of sales and marketing for Nelson Partners, said over email they encourage residents to write about their experiences and to expect prompt responses.

Nichols said some of the things the leasing team and staff are planning include fun events and providing package lockers to create positive experiences for their residents.

“We have also partnered with Opinion for online review monitoring across all platforms so we can work quickly to resolve any issues,” Nichols said.

Savannah Burnard is a junior studying journalism. In her free time, Savannah loves to travel, try new foods and meet new people.

PHOTO BY Paige Johnson

The 800 Block sign was attached to the building to signal its opening.

USU prepares to receive Sigma Alpha agricultural sorority

By Avery Truman LIFESTYLES

Sigma Alpha is a professional sorority formed in 1976 at Ohio State University. With over 80 chapters, the sorority strives to bring women with agricultural interests together with networking opportunities, social events and leadership involvement.

Sigma Alpha needs a minimum of 15 women committed to joining before a chapter can be brought to USU in the fall of 2023. Students who want to join Sigma Alpha must be enrolled in at least 12 credits and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.

Makenna Osborne is an adviser for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.

“We need 15 women to commit before we can found the initial graduating class of Sigma Alpha,” Osborne said. “We need leadership established before we can go back to the national organization.”

In total, Osborne said the sorority dues will be between $200-$300 per year.

“The frst year that you’re going to be in the sorority will be the most expensive, but then afterward, you’ll be paying less,” Osborne said. “It’s .008% of what you’re putting into your tuition.”

Osborne said paying the dues is worth the opportunities and experiences that come from being in a professional sorority.

“$200 is a drop in the bucket and the opportunities that Sigma Alpha is going to offer you like Lisa was saying:, the network, the leadership, the opportunities to go to those national conferences and then also the scholarships that you can qualify for,” Osborne said. “This is really going to pay for all of that.”

Dharla Soteros is a junior at USU, majoring in animal dairy veterinary sciences. Soteros was a member of Sigma Alpha when she attended Oregon State University in 2018.

“There were easy opportunities to get yourself out there,” Soteros said. “And opportunities still are endless. People always reach out even now, years later, to be like hey, our jobs are hiring for these types of positions.”

Women who join Sigma Alpha in the 2023 school year will be Utah State’s founding members for generations to come.

“I loved being a member at Oregon State,” Soteros said. “I think being able to be a founder for something new here — I think that would be just an awesome opportunity.”

“I want to fnd my little niche of people that are interested in the same things as I am that can help me further along my own development in the career,” Soteros said.

Soteros was surprised Utah State University, an agricultural college, did not yet have a Sigma Alpha chapter implemented.

“I think it’ll be super helpful for the community in any-

thing Ag-based,” Soteros said. “We can give back, but it also helps us in our futures.”

Soteros said her favorite part about being a member of Sigma Alpha was being around like-minded women.

“We work harder for what we want,” Soteros said. “You see more representation nowadays than you have before.”

Ian Nemelka, the sorority and fraternity life adviser at USU, said joining a fraternity or sorority is a great opportunity for anyone.

“There is more emphasis on the sisterhood, the networking and the development,” Nemelka said. “This sorority specifcally will fall under the Panhellenic Council.”

The Panhellenic Council includes all sororities on campus. According to Nemelka, USU has around 400 members within FSL throughout various chapters.

“Here at Utah State, our community’s a bit smaller, a

prepare for it.

Lisa Hunsaker, an academic adviser within the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, said that joining Sigma Alpha is a great opportunity for service and professional development.

“Sigma Alpha actually stands for sisters in agriculture,” Hunsaker said. “You will be the ones to start the tradition and really mold what Sigma Alpha is here at Utah State.” According to Hunsaker, Sigma Alpha was frst started by fve women at Ohio State University because they wanted a more professional and career-focused alternative to Greek life.

“The objective of Sigma Alpha shall be to promote its members in all facets of agriculture to strengthen the bonds of friendship among them. It is the purpose of the members to strive for achievement in scholarship, leadership and service, and to further the development of excellence in women pursuing careers in agriculture,” Hunsaker said.

The four pillars of the sorority are scholarship, leadership, fellowship, and service.

“I hope you stretch yourselves outside of the classroom because although you’re here for the academics in the classroom, the whole experience as a college student and getting involved and leading and serving is what’s going to help you to stand out when you apply to jobs in the future,” Hunsaker said.

Hunsaker said joining Sigma Alpha is a good experience to put on resumes to help with future employment.

“There’s lots of volunteer opportunities,” Hunsaker said. “I can’t say enough of the importance of volunteering and tracking those hours — no matter what you want to go into.”

Hunsaker said joining a sorority helps connect women to the community.

“It’s a strong support system of women who have a passion for agriculture,” Hunsaker said. “You do not have to be in an Ag-based major, but it’s for women who have a passion and want to see agricultural careers grow and develop.”

bit more tight knit and a bit more adaptable that way,” Nemelka said. “We really made the initial push to bring this to campus because we are originally an agricultural school.”

Because USU is a land grant institution, Nemelka said having an agricultural sorority makes sense and its potential expansion is something to get excited about.

“This also offers an alternative to those women who don’t necessarily want to go through what we call Panhellenic recruitment,” Nemelka said. “Because Sigma Alpha is not a national Panhellenic organization, they don’t have to abide by the same rules. It leaves it a little bit more open, a little bit more adaptable.”

Nemelka said that FSL offcers are in favor of Sigma Alpha joining the council and have been taking time to

STAFF REPORTER

SUBMITTED PHOTO

A historical photo of women in the Sigma Alpha Sorority, which originated at Ohio State University.

Avery Truman is a frst-year student pursuing environmental studies and geography. She is passionate about astronomy, writing and reading science fction and learning about wildlife.

USU hosts sixth annual Start by Believing Day

By Tyler Bodily LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

On Wednesday, April 5, Utah State University kicked off Sexual Assault Awareness Month by recognizing Start by Believing Day. This is USU’s sixth year hosting the event after partnering with End Violence Against Women International in 2019 and their Start by Believing national campaign.

EVAWI was founded in 2003 by Sergeant Joanne Archambault. Archambault worked for decades with sexual assault victims and started the foundation to support criminal justice practitioners by giving them the resources they needed to investigate sexual assault cases.

Start by Believing Day itself was launched in April of 2011, and it takes place the frst Wednesday of each April to signify the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Felicia Gallegos, the outreach and prevention coordinator for USU’s Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information offce, explained the reasons for this partnership were solutions to the campus climate survey on sexual misconduct. She explained barriers students experienced when coming forward with personal experiences of sexual assault.

“One of the biggest barriers that’s continuously reported is that they are afraid they won’t be believed. They are afraid they will be judged or questioned for what they’ve been through, rather than supported or believed,” Gallegos said.

In response to this survey, USU has a goal to accurately show the percentage of students on campus that were willing to believe frst. In 2022, USU represented about 80% of pledges from the state of Utah, placing stress on outward messaging for survivors to show them that USU can be a place where they will be supported.

“Not only will they feel seen and safe sharing something so vulnerable, but they also know they’re not alone and are reminded of the fact that it isn’t their fault,” Gallegos said.

The event included two booths with resources for assault survivors both on campus through the SAAVI offce and locally around Cache, Rich and Franklin counties with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

The SAAVI offce at USU also participated, and offered information to students interested in what SAAVI had to offer.

Whitney Howard, a full-time victim advocate for SAAVI, said this event is important for educating people on how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence. SAAVI believes that when a survivor comes forward, it takes immense strength and courage and is a privilege to hear.

“It happens too often where people disclose what happened to them and are met with statements that doubt, question or judge their situation,” Howard said.

“Survivors typically go to a friend or family member frst, and if they are told something discouraging, it can potentially discourage somebody from getting the health and resources they need.”

SAAVI helps people who have experienced sexual misconduct before or during their time at USU. Their offce is free and confdential, offering coping skills and resource connections to provide support to anyone who has experienced sexual assault. Howard said she feels so privileged to be with people through potentially the hardest thing they’ve ever dealt with in their lives. She encourages those who may be unsure whether they should seek help to come to SAAVI and learn more about their options.

Start by Believing Day kicked off Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and activities are taking place throughout April to continue to encourage faculty, staff and students to make USU a safer place every day.

Aggie Radio is a student run radio station here on campus. On Aggie Radio there are multiple ways to be involved. You can make podcasts, be a radio DJ, select was music goes on the station, and help out with events like Logan City Limits or College Radio day.

Tyler Bodily is a sophomore studying computer science. When he isn’t writing, Tyler loves reading, playing piano, and listening to musicals.

— A02356369@usu.edu

Imma Be Black Eyed Peas

Davy Crochet The Backseat Lovers

Aquarium Cactus Tree

To Love Someone Cardinal Bloom

Brightest Book On Tape Worm

PHOTO BY Heidi Bingham

CAPSA and SAVVI hosted a booth in the TSC International Lounges on Wednesday, April 5, where USU pledged to “Start by Believing” in support of responding to sexual assault victims with compassion.

Trans history in the present with Susan Stryker

By Carlysle Price LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

As part of the LGBTQIA+ Health & History Series, Utah State University invited Susan Stryker to present her research to students and staff. Stryker is a senior research fellow who focuses on gender and human sexuality at Stanford University’s Humanities Center. She is also a professor of gender studies at the University of Arizona and works with other universities to educate students.

Stryker’s talk on April 6 at USU was titled, “What Transpires Now: Trans History in the Present.” The audience consisted of a variety of age ranges, colleges and sexual orientation.

As a transgender woman, Stryker found it of personal importance to educate the public on similarities that have occurred between present-day anti-trans bills to those of the past.

Stryker said the current crisis around gender is being fgured in the representation of transgender phenomena and transgender bias in a longer historical context. She said gender is one of the most critical concepts of our time.

“It provides a vocabulary for articulating and understanding the relationship between our sense of self, biological substance or social existence or physical environments, and our beliefs about the future,” Stryker said. The word “transpire” was the focus of Stryker’s talk, and she explained it can mean “to passively happen.” But if you focus on the parts of the word, what prefx and roots are present, change can be found.

“Trans is a Latin prefx. It is a shape-shift, changing principle of movement across borders, animating addition. Trans attaches itself to the name, and pulls that thing over boundaries between it and whatever it is not,” Stryker said.

Stryker presented examples in history of cross-dressing being acceptable, including Brigham Morris Young, one of Brigham Young’s sons. He was considered a professional woman impersonator, and would wear women’s clothing to sing and perform under the name Madam Pattirini. It was contrasted to today’s controversy over drag shows to explain how cross-dressing might have become fuel to the fre of an overly-politicized debate.

Other examples were shown of past moral panics pointed towards those who didn’t ft a two-sex binary

norm. Thomas(ine) Hall was born in 1603 and was intersex. This means they didn’t have genitalia that directly matched male or female biology. They were scrutinized and forced to prove their intersex characteristics by showing their body to courtrooms, as well as being forced to dress in clothes that showed they were both male and female.

If they chose to present themselves in just one gender’s fashion, it was considered deceiving. According to Stryker, many Americans today believe dressing in the opposite gender’s clothing is impure or meant to deceive others, with fear surrounding narratives of children and women’s bathrooms.

“Trans histories in the past are transpiring again in the present, the same issues are at stake,” Stryker said. She said national issues create local targets on the backs of transgender people in their homes, classrooms, bathrooms and stores.

As of 2023, more than 24 bills have been introduced that are seeking to restrict transgender health care access, and across the nation, debates over bathrooms and “wokeness” have gained serious traction.

At the end of the talk, Stryker’s Q&A session posed a very serious question for LGBTQ+ youth, asking how

they should move forward in a world that wants to stop them from being themselves.

Stryker answered there is no way to know what will happen next and it will be very hard, but offered advice focused on self-care, and fnding people who accept you for you.

“I have always felt this really strong sense of self. I know that I am okay,” Stryker said.

She said she feels very fortunate to have a family that has always accepted her, and to have a partner, kids and a successful professional life.

Despite the possibility of states taking back rights she has enjoyed for decades, she told trans youth what they can’t do is take away who you are inside, at your core. After the talk, many people in the audience stayed to discuss r the many challenges trans people are now facing with Stryker.

Ike Thomas, a sociology major at USU, was at the event for an extra -credit opportunity for a class.

“I found it very interesting, and wanted to learn more about trans history because I was never taught about it in high school,” Thomas said. “I wanted to broaden my perspective of the trans experience.”

Thomas’ professor, Guadalupe Marquez-Velarde, assistant professor of sociology, said she was excited to share the opportunity with her students.

“I think it’s important to learn new perspectives. We don’t have a lot of voices like Susan Stryker here at USU or Utah in general, so I thought it was a great opportunity to learn something new,” said Marquez-Velarde.

You can learn more from Susan Stryker by watching her flm, “Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria,” or reading her books which can be found online.

@notnotphoebe @cartwatson @paulswhtn

@dan_lefev

For the Salt Lake MLB team name, we should steal another city’s iconic music style

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson starring Drake and Josh reboot

PHOTO BY Heidi Bingham

Dr. Susan Stryker gives a speech about transgenderism and how its history is present in today’s society. The event took place at the Eccles conference center on Thursday, April 6.

Carlysle Price is proud of her extensive magazine collection which has surpassed 50 editions, all of which have been read thoroughly. She would never skip to the cover story.

By Leah Call LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

“It’s about love and desire and family dynamics between parents and children. What it’s like when new energy gets brought into a home, what drives these people and the lifeforce that keeps them going,” Mckenna Walwyn, lead in the play and a Utah State University student said. Opening night of the production “Misalliance” took place on April 14 in the Morgan Theatre of the USU Fine Arts Center.

The play, written by George Bernard Shaw, takes place over the course of one afternoon and follows the Tarleton family as they welcome a new member into the family. Chaos ensues as they attempt to merge two families together. The play shifts when a plane crashes in the Tarleton’s backyard. Pilot Lina Szczepanowska and her copilot, Joseph Percival, come onto the scene.

Walwyn, who plays Lina Szczepanowska, said Shaw’s comedic style come through with quick wit and introspective dialogue.

“Shaw is all about argument,” Walwyn said. “And not argument in the aggressive sense but more about a presentation of ideas and a discourse back and forth about the ideas that Shaw had. I think he put his own experience of the world at this time into these characters. The thing that I love about this is that no one is really right and wrong. So coming into the audition process it was like, ‘Okay, how do I build my argument in the most effective way possible?”

Rehearsals began the week of March 13 and ran for four hours a day, six days a week, not including individual work of studying lines and personal research.

The frst week consisted of table reads where the cast went through the script, before moving into off-book blocking. It was expected they come to rehearsal with memorized lines so more dramaturgical work could be done — understanding important concepts of Edwardian England in the 19th century, where the play takes place.

“Lina is such an incredibly strong woman and I think when I came into the process at the beginning, I was playing her a little too nice and a little too pleasant,” Walwyn said. “When in reality, she’s a female acrobat, she’s a pilot and every day she risks her life. And I think that takes a special kind of person, so being able to feel like I could inhabit that kind of woman was so empowering and made me feel not only like a capable artist but a capable woman. I think that’s something I carry with me through my career as an artist.”

“Misalliance” is directed by Leslie Brott. Brott holds many positions and responsibilities at USU. She is a professor in the department of theatre, interim associate dean for faculty development in the Caine College of the

Arts and the head of acting in the department of theatre arts.

“We decided to do the play because it’s Shaw,” Brott said. “And Shaw is second to Shakespeare in the western literary canon of dead white guys. And it’s because of all the ideas he explores. And Shaw almost always explored every idea — philosophical, social, political — and did so by making us laugh instead of cry.”

In a virtual interview, Brott said the curricular and artistic opportunities for students were some of the motivating factors when it came to choosing this play. Faculty want students to leave as employable as possible, and “Misalliance” provided educational avenues for students working in stage management, design, costume, tailoring and many more.

Brott said in one way or another the entire department has been involved with putting on this production.

“It takes a village to make a world,” Walwyn said.

The actors require fght choreographers for physical moments such as roughhousing, a tantrum that is thrown and a slap on stage. Dialect and text coaches are also required for the Polish, Cockney and English accents of the characters.

“The sentences require great skill in speaking them, so that you as the audience don’t hear anything that’s a long sentence, you just hear a sparkling joke or witty and clever argument,” Brott said. “And that’s hard to do and make it seem like it’s your own thoughts and your own words coming out of your mouth, when really it’s Shaw’s thoughts and Shaw’s words coming out of your mouth. It’s a skill that’s required for anybody in acting.”

She also said the work put in by the actors is designed to make their production look effortless and natural.

“You’re not supposed to know we work that hard,” she said. “Everybody thinks that anybody could act, because good acting doesn’t look like it’s hard at all. But it is supposed to look that way. There is nothing actually akin to normal life in acting, except the fact that you’re talking and standing. Because you’re making a totally fake and artifcial thing seem absolutely real. We don’t want you to question the experience while you’re participating in it. We want you to believe it and experience it with us.”

The complexity of the play is demonstrated through the many themes presented by the characters.

“It is about argument and it is about rhetoric, but it’s not about a conclusion,” Brott said. “It’s just about everybody putting forward their ideas all night long about women’s place in the world, what Edwardian courtship is like, why women should have rights, why marriage is either desirable or ridiculous, why people pursue occupations that they are passionate about or they are stuck in occupations where the work is drudgery. All these things are brought up in an amusing way and Shaw doesn’t prescribe how you should feel about them, but he makes you laugh while you think about them.”

Brott said this is a play she has always been quite fond of and has enjoyed watching her students make it come to life.

“To watch the students struggle with making all of those arguments come alive and then have a moment of success is joy-flled for me and is also really moving,” Brott said. “To know that I have contributed in some small way to help them reveal their artistry, to help validate themselves as craftspeople and to prepare them to enter the profession. It’s humbling and satisfying.”

For more information go to cca.usu.edu/theatre/productions/misalliance.

SUBMITTED PHOTO McKenna Walwyn (left), Willoughby Staley (middle), Andrew Moody (right) are members of the cast of “Misalliance.”

iHelp Foundation works to serve people globally

By Caitlin Keith LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

Operating with the motto, “Improving lives through service, education and empowerment,” the iHelp foundation was founded by Bill Betz and Brent Skinner. It is currently located in Providence, Utah.

On Saturday, April 29, iHelp is holding a fundraiser race to help raise money for their projects. There are three different runs participants can choose from, which are a one mile, 5K and 10K.

iHelp is providing a student discount, so it only costs $20 for students to participate in the races, and students can also volunteer to help out at the event.

Each race has its own map it follows and registration can be done online at ihelpfoundation.org

The frst major project the organization did was a trip to El Salvador in 2003. After a mudslide occurred in the country, Betz and Skinner flled a van with medical equipment, clothes and frst-aid supplies and traveled from Logan to San Salvador, El Salvador.

The foundation focuses on disaster relief and education — not only providing medical care, but other things such as clean water to people who do not have regular access to basic necessities.

Doug Fullmer, the iHelp chief operation offcer, said all of their different efforts have the same goal.

“So I guess what I’m trying to say is from every facet of life, what do you want to do to help those people in underserved populations of the world — it’s to lift them,” Fullmer said.

iHelp works on community outreach and serving people locally in Cache Valley, and visits locations in three different countries, which are Uganda, Liberia and Guatemala.

Taylor Mendenhall, a graduate of Utah State University and also a Logan native, works full time at iHelp as the executive director of student affairs. He said in every place they visit, iHelp works with local people and organizations to provide the best care and education they can for the people in need.

“They teach us a lot, given that they have experience treating what is most common there, and we’re able to teach them a lot,” Mendenhall said. “Based on our experience here in the States, and the technology access that we have to these technologies that allow us to treat patients. We focus a lot on education that way. And we also have those physicians there that remain in those clinics that we work out of, to help with follow up.”

In Guatemala, the organization has partnered with a group called the Village of Hope, which serves young girls who have been sex traffcked, human

traffcked or raped.

There are two people from Liberia who now live in the U.S. that the organization works with to coordinate their projects and service in Liberia.

In Uganda, iHelp works with Peter Sewakiryanga, who works with a Ugandan organization and helps save children from witch doctors and being used as human sacrifces.

The work this organization does has lasting impacts on the people they help.

“We live in a world where, especially in America, where we have things at our fngertips, we have everything that, you know, we could possibly hope for. That’s easily accessible. And it’s very humbling and eye-opening to be able to go to these, you know, developing countries where people have never seen a doctor before,” Mendenhall said.

Locally, the foundation provides a variety of services partnering with the Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection, along with Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse.

With these partnerships, the foundation has a free clinic which provides care for the residents and clients of CAPSA and CRIC.

The foundation also provides emergency medical technician classes.

Fullmer said there are a variety of ways students can be involved in the organization.

“We also encourage students to come with us on these humanitarian trips,” Fullmer said. “So, I think I took fve USU students with me to Guatemala. And I know that they were wanting to go do something different, get out of the cold out of Cache Valley, boost their resume, but it was a great experience for them.”

The foundation is a nonproft, runoff of Bill Betz’s money and donations from people in Cache Valley and around the country.

Caitlin Keith is from Utah and is currently a junior studying journalism. Other than writing, she enjoys watching and ranting about tv shows or sports, speaking German and eating snacks.

— A02312868@usu.edu

PHOTO BY Bailey Rigby

Executive director of student affairs Taylor Mendenhall (left) and chief operations offcer Doug Fullmer sit at their desks in their Providence offce on Wednesday, April 12.

Sprinkle sets standards for men’s basketball program

By Jake Ellis SPORTS EDITOR

“I’m about winning and I’m about doing it the right way,” said Danny Sprinkle, the recently announced 21st head coach of Utah State Men’s Basketball. “We will continue to cultivate, enhance the culture, the atmosphere that’s been around here and just try and go win a game in the NCAA Tournament.”

Sprinkle was welcomed to Utah State at a press conference inside the Wayne Estes Center on April 10. The conference was attended by Sprinkle’s parents Bill and Danette, interim athletics director Jerry Bovee and Noelle Cockett, president of Utah State University, along with dozens of Aggie faithful.

To select Sprinkle as the new coach, a panel made up of Cockett, Bovee, executive associate athletics director Amy Crosbie and a community member interviewed three candidates based on a prior group of 10 to 12 coaches that Bovee had screened at the Final Four in Houston, per Cockett.

Cockett said she is “certain that this is the man we want to lead us forward with our men’s basketball program.”

“The attributes of Danny, coach Sprinkle — I love his name too — matches what we are as Aggies,” Cockett said. “He’s energetic. He’s personable. He has a commitment to integrity. He has grit. He will make things happen. And one of the things that was especially important to me was a commitment to the professional and personal development of our student-athletes.”

Bovee echoed the sentiment of Cockett and thanked Aggie fans for their support and “die-hard fandom” during the coaching search. He added that there was widespread interest in the job around the country.

“There was a lot of interest in this job,” Bovee said. “If you were to see this list that I was working off, you'd be amazed with some of the names on that list.”

Bovee mentioned that several head coaches inquired and interviewed for the job, including some from “Power Five” schools. He added that even though some coaches may have had more experience than Sprinkle, Bovee was focused on fnding the right person for Utah State.

“Just because you have a name and you have experience

at other places, that doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be successful here,” Bovee said. “We had to fnd the right match in that process.”

He said Sprinkle was the right match. That seemed evident in the way Sprinkle talked about how he wants his team to engage with the campus and Cache Valley.

“We are going to be visible in the community. We are going to be visible on campus — it’s important. That’s what makes Utah State special,” Sprinkle said. “Our players — you’re heroes to these little kids. That means a lot to me and I’m going to make sure that those little kids see that and that’s why they want to be Aggies when they grow up.”

After thanking God, Bovee and Cockett for the opportunity to coach at USU, Sprinkle explained his belief in the tradition of Aggie basketball and the importance of representing former players as well as current ones.

Sprinkle shouted out former Aggie guard Brock Miller who was in attendance. Sprinkle said he still has “nightmares” about Miller draining a 3-pointer that took Montana State out of Sprinkle’s frst game as a head coach against Utah State.

Sprinkle continued by talking about the impact of tradition and being representatives of Utah State.

“I talked a lot to our team about representing the players that wore that jersey before and that's important to me,” Sprinkle said. “Tradition is important. In college basketball, it's the most important. And when you're working in the weight room, when you're on campus, when you're in the community, we're going to represent you guys well. And we're going to represent the community and every former player that ever put on that blue and white jersey.”

After giving thanks to coaches that helped Sprinkle progress in his career, he talked about the history of Utah State basketball and mentioned notable players including Wayne Estes, Jaycee Carroll, Spencer Nelson, Sam Merrill and Neemias Queta among others.

Sprinkle was also keen to mention how important the “care factor” is to him. He said how much the school and community care is what drew him to Logan. “This community cares. There's not a lot of communities that care about their basketball team like this does,” Sprinkle said. “You’re a loyal fanbase that cares.”

Sprinkle pointed at Pac-12 Conference fanbases that draw crowds of less than half of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. He said that that would never happen here because Cache Valley cares. Sprinkle also added that he

PHOTOS BY Claire Ott

Danny Sprinkle poses with members of the HURD at his frst USU press conference in the Wayne Estes Center on Monday, April 10.

shares that same passion.

“The one thing that I can tell you is like my care factor is off the charts,” Sprinkle said. “I sometimes have to remind referees about that too and my mom does too. ... It’s different here and I appreciate that.”

Rivalry games were also a topic of discussion. One attendee proclaimed to Sprinkle that “the only thing worse than a Utah Ute is a BYU Cougar.” Utah State hasn’t beaten either team since the 2011-12 season, which includes 10 straight losses to Brigham Young.

Sprinkle has experience fipping rivalries. Before he took over at Montana State, the Bobcats were 1-15 against Montana since 2012. Under his tenure, they went 3-3. Sprinkle puts a lot of weight on rivalry games.

“It’s huge, that’s what makes college basketball,” Sprinkle said. “It was the funnest and most stressful game at Montana State when we played University of Montana. ... We hadn’t been very successful in that rivalry until me and my staff got there, but I think it’s the most important thing.

Obviously, there’s some unbelievable teams in this state and it’s fun to compete against those teams and it's fun for the fans to kind of have those state bragging rights.”

However, the diffculty may be getting those institutions to play games with Utah State as the Utes have only played the Aggies once since joining the Pac-12 Conference and BYU is set to join the Big 12 Conference this year.

Get to know Danny Sprinkle

After securing the job, Sprinkle’s attention is set on building next season’s roster. And like Bovee searching for the new coach, Sprinkle said he will fnd the right players for Utah State.

“I’m here to develop them on and off the court — that’s my responsibility,” Sprinkle said. “We're going to fnd people that want to be here. We’re going to fnd great players and great people that want to be here, and once you get that the sky’s the limit.”

The current team includes Mason Falslev, Isaac Johnson, Landon Brenchley, Rylan Jones, Zee Hamoda and Conner Gillis. Four others — Steven Ashworth, Max Shulga, Sean Bairstow and Szymon Zapala — are in the transfer portal.

Playing Career (Montana State)

• Named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year (1995-96)

• Big Sky All-Tournament Team MVP (1996)

• First Team All-Big Sky (1996-97)

• 10th all-time in Big Sky 3-pointers made (263)

Coaching Career

• Cal State Northridge graduate assistant (2000-01)

• Cal State Northridge assistant (200106, 2008-13)

• Montana State assistant (2006-08)

• Cal State Fullerton assistant (20132019)

Jake Ellis is a senior studying journalism. When he’s not covering the Aggies, Jake lobbies for a new Aggie Ice Cream favor named in Danny Sprinkle’s honor.

— jacob.ellis@usu.edu @JakeEllisonair

• Montana State head coach (20192023)

81-43 record, two Big Sky Tournament championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances

• Big Sky Coach of the Year (2021-22)

USU President Noelle Cockett, left, greets Danny Sprinkle.

Danny Sprinkle poses with Big Blue.

Danette Sprinkle, Danny’s mom, embraces Big Blue.

Danny Sprinkle chats with Tate Bennett, USUSA athletics and campus recreation executive director-elect.

By Sam Warner STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

— A02383353@usu.edu

Sam Warner is a frst-year student studying photography and outdoor product design. He enjoys skateboarding, photography, and playing guitar.

Last week’s solution:

Sudoku puzzles are provided by www.sudokuoftheday.com.

PHOTO BY Claire Ott

Miss Science Aubrey Abbott lights up the stage at the Miss USU pageant on Tuesday, April 11.