Moutain View Tower residents evacuated for chemical spill
By Aubrey Holdaway and Malory Rau STTATESMAN REPORTERS
Around 8 p.m. on Jan. 16, a chemical spill at Mountain View Tower prompted the evacuation of students and a significant emergency response. The incident began when residents reported chemical smells on the first floor of the residence hall, leading to immediate safety measures.
“There was this cloud of smoke outside the stairwell on the first floor,” said Lily Cook, resident of Mountain View Tower. “It smelled really bad, like melted plastic or rotten eggs.”
Police and fire investigators were called, and officers investigating the alarm found the first floor covered in gaseous hydrochloric acid. Evacuated students were told to go to other buildings on campus such as The Junction, and anyone who was exposed to fumes was directed to an Aggie Shuttle bus outside the Gateway Parking Terrace located near the Daryl Chase Fine Arts Center. They were quarantined for several hours to avoid further possible contamination.
“We weren’t really being informed on what was going on,” Cook said. “We were outside for another 30 minutes in the cold, and then they got us all on a bus. They didn’t tell us anything other than ‘You were exposed to some fumes — hang out on this bus.’”
Cook also expressed concern for her cat who was left inside the building during this time.
A large EMS response followed with Logan Fire, Logan Hazmat, USU Police and many other USU entities. During the investigation, authorities identified Joshua Peter Jager, 20-year-old USU student, as the individual responsible for the incident. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Logan District Court written by USU Police investigator Tanner Hulse, “Jager approached officers and admitted that he set the alarm off.”
Jager had already been on the police’s radar. Officers responded to a fire alarm set off in his dorm days earlier on Jan.13.
“Upon entering the room, Officers and Fire discovered a large amount of chemicals inside. Amongst the chemicals were things such as silver nitrate, potassium carbonate, and many more chemicals,” Hulse wrote. “Officers also observed various machinery, tools, and large quantities of batteries.”
Officers suspected there was possible drug or explosive making, and bomb technicians were called to the scene. Jager denied any bomb or drug making inside his dorm room, and after the room was cleared, Jager was warned to remove all chemicals from his room and cease any “cooking” in his dorm room.
On Jan. 16, six hours before the fire alarm would go off again, Jager was brought into USU Police Department to be questioned by officers and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force about the previous incident.
“Jager denied any ties to [terroristic organizations] and stated he made a mistake by bringing the chemicals to his dorm. Jager was then warned by the FBI and Your Affiant that Jager’s conduct must immediately cease,” Hulse wrote.
“I think it’s just completely ridiculous that they interviewed this guy six hours before the whole thing happened and they knew he was dangerous,” Cook said. “They knew he had these chemicals in his room, and all they did was say ‘Hey, stop it’ and just took him at his word when he said he would.”
According to a Cache County Jail booking sheet, Jager was arrested late Thursday night and is facing a Class A misdemeanor for “Cause Catastrophe - Recklessly Caused” and a Class C misdemeanor for disorderly conduct.
This incident has raised concerns among students and parents about safety protocols and emergency preparedness on campus. Cook was already planning on moving out but now feels a sense of urgency.
“We were planning on waiting a week or two at most to get things more ready at our next place, but after this situation, we’re trying to get out as fast as possible,” Cook said. “A lot of us are looking to move out because we don’t want to be here anymore.”
The Utah Statesman reached out to USU Chief of Police Jason Brei for a comment.
“Multiple USU departments have been involved in ensuring that the space is safe for our students to occupy. As far as the criminal side goes, we are continuing an active
investigation and assessing further criminal charge,”
wrote in a text.
There have been zero reported injuries for this
Aubrey Holdaway and Malory Rau are two blondes who are often mistaken for each other, but they usually don’t mind because that just makes their superhuman connection even stronger.
— a.holdaway@usu.edu
Brei
incident.
PHOTO BY Kelly Winters Moutain View Tower residents residing in The Junction after being evacuated on Jan. 23.
Music therapy students plan to educate, inspire in ‘Muses’
By Brook Wood STATESMAN REPORTER
USU’s music therapy students will transform the Daines Concert Hall into an interactive classroom on Jan. 30, showcasing the healing power of music in their long-awaited concert “Muses.”
Music therapy students who have prepared self-accompanied pieces will demonstrate what music therapy entails in this educational and interactive concert.
Madison Black is a senior majoring in music therapy and the president of the USU Music Therapy Student Association.
“Music therapy is using music to accomplish therapeutic goals. In any therapeutic setting, there can be a use for music,” Black said.
The concert will have a variety of music presented by music therapy students who will treat the concert as an educational setting to advocate for the program.
“They’ll be explaining a little bit about the purpose behind the song and why they would use it in a clinical setting,” Black said. “Then they’ll perform it for the audience, and there could be some interaction. It’s honestly a way for us to advocate for the effectiveness of music therapy.”
The students’ goals are to accomplish what a music therapist’s goal as a clinician would be, meaning audience interaction and participation will be pivotal. The audience might be asked to clap or sing along to the music, demonstrating what might be part of the experience between a client and music therapist.
The concert was originally planned to occur in November, but due to scheduling conflicts, it was postponed. Corinne Pickett is a temporary music therapy instructor and was part of the committee that postponed the concert.
“There were so many concerts happening, so it couldn’t be postponed just a week or two because from Nov. 1 to the end of the semester, there’s all kinds of things,” Pickett said.
While the concert may have been rescheduled, Pickett said the student involvement was able to flourish due to the new concert date. The faculty was only part of the program to approve students’ ideas and organize a concert date — otherwise, it is all student-led.
“Muses is our concert where we advocate for what we do, so concert attendance can expect to have a musical experience much like a concert,” Pickett said. “However, they’re also going to learn what that might look like in a therapy setting, and what the clinical intention behind using a song they share would be.”
Pickett said the concert will be unique, not just because of the variety of music but because of the intention behind each song.
Several different genres will be featured that are targeted to help a client’s specific emotional needs.
“We do a lot of music that is very popular that might be enjoyed by someone in a nursing home — that might be enjoyed by teens in a recovery program,” Pickett said.
“It might be enjoyed by kiddos in an elementary school that are in a therapy program.”
The name for the concert goes back to what inspired artists in ancient Greece. It refers to the Greek goddesses of the arts and how they inspired works such as music.
“The reason that we’ve named this concert Muses is because a muse is something that inspires you, and we hope that this concert
inspires the audience,” Pickett said. “The music that we choose certainly is inspired by the clients that we might serve, their journeys and the things that they share with us. It’s meant to be a night of inspiration and learning and advocating for what we do.”
Brook Wood is working towards receiving a bachelor’s degree in literature. When they aren’t writing or reading, they enjoy playing the violin in the USU Symphony Orchestra and the occasional sweet treat.
— b.wood@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Claire Ott
Madison Black discusses “Muses” while seated in the Daryl Chase Fine Arts Center on Jan. 21.
Logan City denies power plant addition
By Bailey Daniels STATESMAN REPORTER
On Jan. 7, all present members of Logan City Council refused participation in a sales contract with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems to the satisfaction of many citizens at the meeting. Resolution 24-47, ‘A resolution authorizing and approving the Power County Power Project Power Sales contract with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and related matters,’ proposed that participating cities
will be provided with reliable economic sources of electric power and energy.
Mason Baker, CEO of UAMPS, was present at the meeting to secure a deal with Logan. For the last two years, UAMPS has been working towards constructing a 364,000 kilometers natural gas-fired combined cycle generating facility in a town with a fitting name Power City, Idaho. Based on the contract, the estimated cost for this project is $700 million.
Cities that agree to pay their share of the costs associated with developing the project, primarily through raising electricity costs for citizens, will become partial owners and will reap the power generated. According to an article by the Salt Lake Tribune, Logan was the last of 34 cities approached by UAMPS and the only one to deny the offer. A couple of participating communities are Hyrum and Brigham City.
Mark Montgomery, Logan City light and power director, and Yuqi Zhao, electric resource manager, helped explain Logan’s growing population's needs.
“We have peaks in the summer and peaks in the winter and peaks during the day, but there’s a steady burn of a certain amount of megawatt energy that the city has to have all the time, and that’s what baseload is,” Montgomery said.
The current baseload for Logan is 30 megawatts. Zhao elucidated with a 20-year forecast that the baseload is expected to increase annually.
To conceptualize this, the Nuclear Regulatory Com-
mission explains, “a megawatt of capacity will produce electricity that equates to about the same amount of electricity consumed by 400 to 900 homes in a year.” Three options were proposed to meet the exigency for power. The first was to purchase a larger block of power from existing providers, which carried increased financial risk and might not supply enough power. The second was to build a local facility, which could increase pollution, especially in the winter. The last option was to join UAMPS in their project.
Bailey Daniels is studying technology systems. She loves Lana Del Rey, sweet treats and all things whimsical.
— bailey.daniels@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Alyssa Wangsgard
Logan City Hall as seen on Jan. 22.
Fire zones to forever homes: Utah shelters make room for Los Angeles dogs, puppies
By Samantha Issacson STATESMAN REPORTER
On Jan. 17, a small plane touched down at the Logan-Cache Airport. On board were seven dogs from California, ready to find new homes in Utah. The fires in Southern California have devastated the Los Angeles community and displaced animals throughout the area, creating a desperate need for shelter space to give emergency boarding and care.
To combat this, shelters in Utah have begun to take in prefire adoptable pets — animals that were in the shelters before the fires started — from the LA shelters to help make room.
Among the shelters in Utah that have begun to take in these animals are the Best Friends Animal Society Salt Lake City and Kanab locations and Cache Humane Society in Logan.
Michelle Sathe, public relations and marketing strategist for Best Friends, said they found out they would need to accept some pets through communication with their LA location.
“As soon as news started breaking out about the wildfires in Los Angeles, our leadership team immediately knew this was something we would need to get involved with,” Sathe said. “We have a Best Friends pet adoption shelter in Los Angeles, which has been the hub of activity for us in the area.”
Cache Humane Society’s director Bri Smith said their organization is also in communication with shelters in LA, and after finding out about the fires, they decided to reach out.
“We are transfer partners with some wonderful shelters and rescues down in LA,” Smith said. “After learning about the fires, we knew they would probably need help. So we got involved and said we would do whatever we could.”
Sathe said they immediately began to transfer pre-fire adoptable pets to their Best Friends Utah locations.
“Our ultimate goal is to clear out the shelters in Los Angeles so that any pets that are actually displaced by the fires can come in and have a safe place to be in LA until they’re either reunited with their owners or adopted,” Sathe said.
Smith said they began to clear out as much space as possible in Cache Humane through adoptions and fostering in order to make space for any transfers they received.
“We have been pushing adoptions and then holding kennel space for these dogs that we knew were coming in,” Smith said. “We have already had 21 adoptions this year, and we knew we needed to save kennels just in case they needed us. So when we got asked, we were ready to accept.”
These transfers were made possible by Wings of Rescue, an LA-based charity that facilitates large-scale transports of shelter pets from disaster areas. Volunteers Angela and Kale Keeling piloted the flight that brought dogs to Cache Humane.
“When disaster strikes, Wings of Rescue is there to try and help out, move the animals and do what we can clear out the shelter so that the animals that are in danger have somewhere to go,” Angela Keeling said.
Hannah Castillo Mortensen, Cache Humane clinic assistant manager, said they had to prepare both physically and mentally.
“We made sure we had the necessary supplies needed as well as the staff preparing internally for what was to come,” Mortensen said.
Sathe said she felt it was important they take in transfers as LA gets back on its feet.
“LA has been devastated by these fires. This means there are going to be a lot of animals that have been displaced and will be picked up and brought into LA shelters,” Sathe said. “There will be a lot of people who do not have a place to live and will need housing for their pets while they figure out their situation or may need these shelters to find new homes for their pets.”
“Best Friends has locations in Salt Lake City and Kanab,” Sathe said. “People can go to the Best Friends website to donate, or they can donate in person.”
Mortensen said the community can also help by volunteering and participating in their Doggy Day Trip program.
Smith shared a similar sentiment.
“The fires are devastating, and we want to help in the best way we can,” Smith said. “Having a safe place where these displaced animals can stay while their owners are looking for them is absolutely crucial, and if we can help open up those kennels by taking adoptable dogs, we’re going to do it.”
Mortensen assumes they will continue to receive animals for months to come.
“I’m expecting we have a lot more to come and will be pretty busy for a while,” Mortensen said. “I think we’ll take in as many animals as we can, knowing that the extra hours put in will be worth it because we will be saving animals’ lives.”
Sathe said the community can help support shelters by adopting, fostering and donating.
“Our day trip program allows the dogs to get out of the shelter for a couple hours during the day,” Mortensen said. “You can take them on a hike, go to the park, get a pup cup and lots of other things. Being in a shelter for so long can be hard on the dogs and can deteriorate their mental health.” Those who wish to donate to either shelter can visit their websites at bestfriends.org/donate or cachehumane.org/ donate or can visit their local shelter’s website or location.
Samantha Isaacson is a junior majoring in journalism with a double minor in art and psychology. She loves to read and spend time outdoors. — sam.isaacson@usu.edu
PHOTOS BY Aubrey Holdaway
Cache Humane Society volunteers and staff unloading dogs from the Wings of Rescue plane on Jan. 17.
Bubbles, one of the seven dogs flown to Logan from LA, receiving belly rubs from volunteers on Jan. 17.
From classrooms to ski slopes: USU students take advantage of unique physical education credit
By Essence Barnes STATESMAN REPORTER
Students can trade classrooms and laptops for slopes and ski poles in Utah State University’s offsite skiing and snowboarding courses, known as PE 1605 and PE 1615.
These classes are held at Beaver Mountain Ski Resort for seven weeks during the spring semester. Students are taught proper skiing and snowboarding techniques and safety.
Historical photographs recorded in the USU Digital History Collections show the ski class has been available at USU since the 1940s, initially taking place on Old Main Hill.
The classes are run under the Beaver Mountain Snowsports School, consisting of several other skiing and snowboarding lesson series offered at Beaver, such as adult, private and children’s lessons.
According to Debbie Tarboton, director of the school, the classes are held on Beaver Mountain once a week for seven weeks. The first day is all about gauging where the students’ skills are.
“We keep the beginners at the bottom and start teaching them from the beginning, and the rest we take up the mountain and watch them ski and ride,” Tarboton said.
Class sizes range from 75 to 100 students, and they’re divided into groups of roughly 10 and assigned an instructor.
The courses count for one credit and are graded on the basis of pass or fail. Students must attend six out of seven class lessons to get the credit, but what students wish to do in class is largely up to them.
“We try to find out what they would like to learn,” Tarboton said. “Lessons are not just student-centered but student-driven.”
According to Tarboton, students are encouraged to request what they want to learn, what runs they want to go on and what group they’d like to be in.
The skills, techniques and safety fundamentals taught in the course are modeled under the Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors guidelines.
“Through the years, skiing has changed, but there are certain fundamentals that remain, and we follow a set of five fundamentals,” Tarboton said. “We talk about rotary skills, edge control skills and pressure control skills.”
The classes cost roughly $294 per semester, but students with Beaver season passes pay slightly less. Equipment is not included in the course cost but can be rented at Beaver with a class discount.
Class instruction is held for an hour and a half, but class tickets allow students to continue to free-ski or free-snowboard at the resort for another two hours.
Tarboton said she has seen the significant development of skills from students on all levels since her time as the program director.
“Not a lot of people take seven lessons in a row when they begin,” Tarboton said. “We try to provide them with skills that are going to help them be more comfortable and use less effort when skiing variable terrain and conditions.”
Jacie Roberts, USU student, applied for the spring 2025 semester of the PE 1615 course as an intermediate snowboarder.
“I had a couple of friends take it last spring, and they had great things to say about it,” Roberts said. “I’ve also been wanting to get back into snowboarding, so I thought it would be a great opportunity.”
Roberts meets up with her class group at Beaver every week. During class, instructors take their groups to the lift or trail they will be practicing on for the day with specific goals in mind as to what technique the students need to be taught and what the students want to learn.
“It’s been really great to ski with a group of people because I haven’t snowboarded in a few years because I got injured,” Roberts said. “I feel a lot better being around people and having an instructor to act as a safety net.”
According to Roberts, the class facilitates foundational learning through one-on-one interaction with instructors, and lessons focus on what students are interested in doing.
“I was honestly kind of nervous going into it,” Roberts said. “But as soon as you get there, they’re really great about informing you of what’s going on, how it’s going to get going, and they are super kind.”
The classes are widely popular among students, and Roberts said they often fill up quickly and usually require time spent on the registration waitlist.
“I like having a more active class that breaks up your day, your school and your homework a little bit,” Roberts said. “I love just being able to get outside and not having to sit in a classroom.”
Essence Barnes is a second-year student majoring in journalism and minoring in environmental studies. She enjoys reading, writing and caffeine.
— essence.barnes@usu.edu
Brawling with robots
By Gabriella Kozic STATESMAN REPORTER
Those who happened to be near the Richard and Moonyeen Anderson Engineering Building at Utah State University on Jan. 18 might have heard the whir of motors, the clank of plastic on plastic and the cheers of a crowd. This was the sound of USU’s first-ever combat robotics tournament, an event that brought students, hobbyists and even children together to celebrate creativity, engineering and a healthy dose of friendly competition.
The Combat Robotics Club, relatively new to campus, is quickly making waves with its dynamic approach to engineering and community engagement.
The tournament featured two weight classes: onepound ant weight and three-pound beetle weight. Competitors came from Utah State, BYU and ISU, as well as a few hobbyists from all over Cache Valley.
Club leader and member, Jared Ibrahim, firstyear mechanical engineering student, detailed the intense preparation that led to the event that had him spending much of his time in the engineering lab and the Idea Factory as he tried to piece his robot together.
His robot was named “Curse” due to its history of electronic issues — though most didn’t appear during competition. It showcased a sleek, powerful design aimed at ending matches quickly and decisively.
“My philosophy on defense is just planning on getting hit. So I make something that’s really fast and really nimble that essentially ends the match before it begins. I just try not to take damage,” Ibrahim shared.
Ibrahim’s hard work paid off when he placed third in the ant weight competition, just behind another USU club member whose robot’s name was “Baha Blasted.”
The road to success, however, was not easy. Ibrahim spent long hours working on his robot and didn’t get much sleep the night before the tournament.
Ibrahim also recounted unexpected failures, such as drive motors falling apart and parts nearly melting. Despite this, Ibrahim adapted to these challenges, which showed with his podium finish.
Gabriella Kozic is a first year-student from Easton, Pennsylvanua studying journalism and communications. She is a die-hard New York sports fan. She loves to read, write, and play guitar and sports. Most of all, she loves her friends, family and her dog DJ.
— gabriella.kozic@usu.edu
Kenzie Jones hosts “The Feel Good,” airing Wednesdays at 4 PM on Aggie Radio. She features local music and often invites artists on the show. While the name suggests upbeat vibes, Kenzie believes any song that makes you feel something is a good one.
Don’t Cry When I Leave The Last
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Alright Bob Dylan
PHOTO BY Gabriella Kozic
Combat Robotics Club member David Biesinger battles with his robot on Jan. 18 at the Richard and Moonyeen Anderson Engineering Building.
Angelina Pinegrove
Caroline Briston Maroney
WIld Buffalo
Bad Dream Wallows
A road to remember: Aggies Walk the Walk
By Ashley Dorius STATESMAN REPORTER
On Jan. 22, community members gathered on the Utah State University Quad in the cold for the second annual Aggies Walk the Walk event. Hosted by USU Athletics, the event was held to remember Martin Luther King Jr. and was put on by Isaiah Jones, the associate athletic director for student-athlete and community engagement.
Jones said the event is something he loves to put on and the walk was inspired by King and other civil rights advocates’ famous marches.
“[I’m] thinking of it as an opportunity to continue building community and bringing people together,” Jones said. “At the same time, it really kind of embodies and gives us a sense of tradition around the power of community and love.”
The event started as people met on the steps of Old Main facing the Quad. Jones said a few words and then invited David Zook, Cache County executive, to speak. Zook thanked the crowd for gathering in the cold weather and then shared some words Gov. Spencer Cox said at his recent inauguration. He discussed King’s love of service and its importance in creating community. He said in Cache Valley, he’s found people are serviceoriented.
“We serve each other,” Zook said to the group. “If we see a need, we step up.”
After Zook’s remarks, the walk began. Holding tealights, the group walked from the Quad to the Wayne Estes Center.
At the center, a few student-athletes addressed the crowd. First was Kaylee Erickson, redshirt junior on the softball team.
“It’s just awesome to see everybody come out for the community and stand and walk for Martin Luther King and remember what he stood for,” Erickson said. “As I was walking, I was just thinking about how in order to
make a real impact on people, you have to take it one step at a time.”
Then Indya Nespor, senior tennis player, spoke.
“Thank you all for coming in this cold and for honoring Dr. Martin Luther King,” Nespor said. “I walk the walk for my teammates and for all of Aggie Nation. I think if we spread the kindness, equality and unity, we can all be better.”
There were many student-athletes in the crowd, which Jones said he appreciated.
“Our mission is being out in the community — providing access and education in the community,” Jones said. “Our
student-athletes are really on the front porch as far as leading that vision. You see something like tonight and how many people in the community come, so having them lead the walk … means everything.”
He also said having the athletes do the walk helps team unity.
“We always say in sports that even when you have a really good team or a good community, it’s a really active process to keep it that way, and so the walk is an opportunity for us to do something together — to reflect,” Jones said.
— ashley.dorius@usu.edu
Ashley Dorius is a sophomore studying journalism. She’s obsessed with Hi-C fruit punch and lip gloss.
PHOTOS BY Jack Burton
Community members participating in Aggies Walk The Walk cross Aggie Boulevard on Jan. 22.
By Rain Schenck STATESMAN REPORTER
When the world first witnessed “Avatar,” audiences collectively nodded in approval, marveling at its groundbreaking visuals. The introduction of the “Avengers” franchise spawned an instant fan base, solidifying its place as a cultural phenomenon.
Now consider “Twilight.” Grossing over $3 billion worldwide, you’d think its financial success alone would cement its status as a must-watch film series. Yet, mention the name “Twilight,” and you’ll find reactions ranging from mocking laughter to outright disdain, with die-hard fans fiercely defending it. How can one franchise evoke such polarized responses?
Here’s my take: It’s so bad, it’s good.
Before you roll your eyes, assuming I’m just another superfan armed with books and posters, though that may be true, let me confess. I was once a “Twilight” hater. My transformation into a reluctant and very critical admirer is exactly why I feel qualified to explore the phenomenon surrounding “Twilight.”
At its core, “Twilight” revolves around Bella Swan, a seemingly uninteresting, quiet and awkward teenager, a relatable feeling for anyone who survived high school, living in Forks, Washington, the rainiest city in the western United States.
What differentiates Bella from her other classmates is she finds herself between two worlds. Leading a boring, melancholy high school life and dating a 104-year-old vampire Edward Cullen. The movie hinges on two ideas, as Bella puts it: “Who I should be and who I am.”
Feeling like an outcast in her own world, she becomes overly obsessed in the seductive allure of Edward’s fantasy world as a vampire. She craves the perks of being a blood-sucker: immortality, escape from social norms of attending college, getting a normal job and living the life she “should.”
Bella enters this world by happenstance, using her normal observation skills to see very obvious abnormalities within the Cullen family everyone else in Forks seems to have blindly overlooked.
On the other hand, Edward becomes enchanted with the fact that he can’t read Bella’s mind, a unique frustration for someone who has spent almost a century mastering reading human minds.
Like every true love story, their obsession with each other accelerates at lightning speed without having a single normal conversation.
The second-hand embarrassment felt as you watch this movie is another level of cringe I have not experienced elsewhere.
My argument: That is the art of “Twilight.” What other film accurately explores the high school experience by forcing the viewer to relive the “glory days?”
Take a moment to reflect on your hallway crush. Were you the epitome of grace and cool? Or were you, like most
of us, a bundle of awkward, overdramatic emotions? I became an original hater, believing a film shouldn’t make me want to laugh at the serious scenes and cringe at the funny ones.
But I’ve come to recognize “Twilight” captures this phase of life with startling accuracy, whether we’re willing to admit it or not — the cringe, the charm, the endearing love, the excruciating pluck-your-eyes-out awkwardness. The contrast of it all is the epitome of growing up.
The film is far from flawless and easy to hate at first sight. The annoying blue filter gives every scene a lifeless hue. The acting feels half-hearted, like the author of the books Stephanie Meyer has them at knifepoint. The cast even publicly admitted their disdain for the project years later.
At moments in the film, the wigs and costumes look like they were done by a set production team pulled from the closest middle school. And let’s not forget Edward’s unsettling habit of watching her sleep, which he does for over a month without her knowing. The best part? When Bella finds out he’s been watching her sleep, she is “flattered,” proving just how deeply the story leans into its toxic romance tropes.
As the movie continues, Bella’s two worlds collide and she’s forced into a death-defying adventure in which Edward must protect Bella from an enemy vampire.
Bella survives the encounter thanks to Edward, and her love for him is obnoxiously strengthened into a bond which will last “forever.” After knowing each other for just a few weeks, they become dependent on each other’s existence.
Why then? Why does a fan base even exist for this movie after skimming the facts?
“Twilight” offers an escapist fantasy where the ordinary girl is transformed into something extraordinary, where love is all-consuming and transcendent, even if it’s wrapped in a blanket of toxicity. The magic of “Twilight” isn’t just a sparkly vampire and a girl who can’t seem to decide whether she wants to be loved or destroyed. It’s about yearning.
“Twilight” taps into the universal desire for validation and the hope something extraordinary can break through the dullness of everyday life. Bella isn’t perfect. She’s awkward, she’s flawed and at times she seems entirely self-destructive.
But she’s real in a way we can all recognize. Many of us have felt like the outsider, like Bella.
Edward, with all his vampire angst, represents a kind of idealized love both unattainable and deeply alluring. He doesn’t just like Bella, he’s obsessed with her, consumed by the idea of her, of saving her from herself and the dangers of the world around her. Even though he believes himself to be a danger to her, he constantly fights his instincts to kill her and drink her blood. This self-mastery on his part just to be in the same room as her models an obsessive love that is intoxicating and wrapped in unhealthy dynamics.
It’s easy to dismiss Bella — she seems boring and strange. But if you look closer, you see her quiet kindness. She moves in with her dad so her mom can travel with her new husband, quietly sacrificing her comfort for the sake of her mother’s happiness.
Rain Schenck is a senior studying journalism and communications. If she’s not writing or reading, she can be found at any competitive event or game night, throwing a ball or yelling at a card game.
Students and Smiles
— a02446198@usu.edu
Alyssa Wangsgard is a freshman at Utah State. She loves photography and taking pictures of everything. When she’s not taking pictures, Alyssa enjoys being outside, running and hanging out with her friends.
By Jack Burton