USUSA Clubs claim censorship
By Isabella Erwin STATESMAN REPORTER
When the Utah State University Inclusion Center closed in July 2024 and its clubs became a part of the USUSA, the university website stated students would be “supported and operated consistent with the USUSA clubs and organizations’ policies and procedures.”
Instead, club presidents say they faced unhelpful leadership, little support or communication and harsher scrutiny than other USUSA clubs.
“It feels like the university is trying to remove any association with us and get us off campus,” said Yash Rivera, president of the Queer Student Alliance.
On Jan. 10, USU’s Black Student Union posted an image of their new logo, a wolf accompanied by the club’s name and the motto “Family and Loyalty.”
“You say we can’t wear your name anymore, so we choose our own. You say we can’t rock your logo, so we create a new symbol. Resilience. Family. Loyalty. We rise, we stand, we move—together,” the caption of the post read.
The BSU wasn’t alone. The QSA and Disabled and Neurodiverse Aggies also changed their logos and handles on Instagram.
The changes came after the clubs received emails from Chynna Johns, USUSA clubs adviser and program coordinator. Johns told the presidents they were violating a section of the 29-page USUSA club handbook and they must remove university names and logos from their accounts.
The section reads, “Clubs are not to use any association of the Utah State name or logos, such as ‘USU,’ ‘Aggies,’ ‘Utah State University,’ the bull logo, etc.”
According to Rivera, choosing a new Instagram handle was difficult, as QSA is a common club name. “We can’t say that we’re part of USU, but we still, in some ways, have to show that we’re related to USU, and that has a lot of complexity,” Rivera said.
The Utah Statesman found 86 clubs with Instagram accounts, with 77 using university names and/or logos. Jade Velazquez, executive director of USUSA Clubs & Organizations, said in a phone call with the Statesman the rule wasn’t enforced until this year.
“It’s always been in the handbook,” Velazquez said. “It wasn’t until this year where they’ve been really focused on infringement regarding the handbook.”
Velazquez said she understood the push for more comprehensive enforcement with this year being the first the university faces a new audit from the state government. The audit will assess public universities’s compliance with HB 261, the law which eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion measures in organizations receiving funding from the state.
“If we don’t comply with House Bill 261, the university does face budget cuts from 2% to 5%, which doesn’t seem that much to a student, but that is millions and millions of dollars taken away,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez explained she believed Johns emailed every club violating the social media policy but stated she was not involved.
Multiple club presidents have confirmed with the Statesman they never received an email from Johns about this, despite their social media accounts also violating USUSA’s guidelines. Almost 90% of club Instagram accounts violate the rule at time of publishing.
Presidents of these clubs described a pattern of inadequate communication from the USUSA. The BSU and DNA claim to have suddenly lost access to their club’s email accounts over winter break, receiving no warning or communication from the USUSA.
“There was no discussion ahead of time that it was canceled. We couldn’t notify our contacts that our email was getting disbanded,” said President BSU Ta’Mariah Jenkins. “We just couldn’t access our email when we tried.”
According to Jenkins, the university threw away decor belonging to the BSU that was in storage. She said USU did not reach out to her club to inform them.
“We had our backdrop thrown away without any notice, so we couldn’t use it this year,” Jenkins said.
Typical club tasks like requesting funds or reserving rooms on campus became an uphill battle, according to club presidents.
“A lot of the rooms that we’ve tried to book with the university have been approved by the university, but then they will give us a reason for suddenly denying it,” Rivera said. “So we will have a room set up, and then at the very last minute, we are no longer allowed to use that room because they needed it for classes, even though it’s not a classroom.”
The club presidents also described the transition into operating a USUSA club as confusing. According to
Jenkins, these clubs did not receive adequate training or preparation for the change.
“Sometimes the staff doesn’t even know what they’re doing,” Jenkins said. “And when we ask, we don’t get a lot of answers, so we’re constantly searching to find somebody.”
Jenkins said the university went beyond other colleges in the state in its attempts to comply with the new law.
“[Utah Valley University] kept their centers. They kept their organizations under different departments. There was a lot of room that could have been worked through in that bill that USU disregarded,” Jenkins said.
Rivera and Jenkins, both seniors, described watching support from the university decrease over their time at school.
“The entire time I’ve worked with QSA, we’ve always had issues,” Rivera said. “It doesn’t feel like the university is very supportive of our club because they give us a lot of barriers that we always manage to kind of work around.”
Jenkins said her club was well supported in her first three years of school.
“The support we had before is gone,” she said. “One of the bigger changes with the university and our club in the last few years has been the amount of support we’ve been able to get from our advisors and from faculty,” Rivera said.
Now, the QSA and BSU rely on other departments and local organizations.
“We do have communities that help us and do believe we matter. The Center for Community cares — the teachers care,” Jenkins said. “But Utah State University as a school — we don’t matter to them, and that’s why we’ve been thrown to the side.”
The QSA has received funding and support for their events from the Logan Pride Foundation.
Isabella Erwin is a sophomore studying journalism. When not busy with a new project,they can be found listening to indie rock and playing too much “Balatro.”
— isabella.erwin@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Kelly Winter
QSA President Yash Rivera poses for a picture outside the TSC on Jan. 18.
Concert for a Cause confronts campus hunger through art
By Sicily Clay STATESMAN REPORTER
Ahaunting reality echoed through the halls of Utah State University’s Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall on Jan. 22 — over 60% of USU students struggle to find their next meal. To raise awareness and funds for food insecurity on campus, USU art students hosted “Concert for a Cause.”
The one hour and 45-minute event was designed to highlight a significant issue affecting the campus community. According to a Utah Public Radio article published in October 2024, which cited a 2024 survey by the Student Nutrition Access Center, “The survey findings reveal that over 60% of students reported low or very low food security, with many saying they had trouble accessing proteins specifically. More than half of the students also said that hunger both sometimes or often made it hard for them to stay focused in class.”
In response to these findings, the Caine College of the Arts implemented a new initiative. Dean Nicholas Morrison announced, “We’re starting a program in our advising office where students can either bring their own lunch and warm it up in a microwave, or if they don’t have lunch or dinner, there’ll be some small food items available to help bridge them through to the next meal.”
The concert featured 11 performances, each accompanied by a unique piece of art. Junior vocal performance major Lily Takemoto performed “Au Cimetière” by Gabriel Fauré, alongside a display of her sister Anna’s Takemoto’s artwork, “The Orchids.”
“‘Au Cimetière’ by Gabriel Fauré is a non-poem piece for the singer lamenting those who have died by sea and how those who have been able to bury their loved ones on land should feel lucky that their loved ones get to rest peacefully. This piece is full of dramatic shifts in the music when comparing mourning on land and mourning by sea. In the middle section, you can hear the tension build in the music as the singer greets their loved one, leading to the end where you can feel the sense of bitterness in the music,” Lily Takemoto said.
Anna Takemoto shared the inspiration behind her artwork.
“‘The Orchids’ was a piece I had painted for my mom as a birthday present because
of all the orchids she kept while I was growing up. Orchids always reminded me of her and my sister, who is singing,” Anna Takemoto said. “Since I’ve moved away from home, I wanted to paint something that would remind me of home but then knew that my mom would appreciate this piece more. One of the main meanings of ‘The Orchids’ is thoughtfulness, which is one of the best words to describe my mom, and makes this painting feel very representative of her.”
Another piece featured was Megan Freeman’s artwork, created with watercolor and graphite, displayed during Adam Bowen’s piano performance of “The Rocks of Uch-Kosh” by Sergei Bortkiewicz.
“Created using a combination of watercolor and graphite pencils, this piece explores the profound effect color has in art, using it to emphasize the importance of nature and its intricate relationship with the human experience. The interplay between the softness of the watercolor and the precision of the graphite draws attention to the delicate
Sicily Clay is a sophomore studying journalism and marketing. When not crafting engaging content, she can be found chasing sunrises, painting, hitting the slopes or exploring the latest news and stories. — sicily.clay@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Malory Rau
Lilly Takemoto prefoming in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall at Concert for a Cause on Jan. 22.
ARTWORK SUBMITTED BY ANNA TAKEMOTO
Music Box Concert: Connecting with kids
By Alici Archibald STATESMAN REPORTER
Music educator Ewa Wilczynski founded the Music Box Concert Series with the help of Professor Emeritus Leslie Timmons in 2016. The program’s more than 20 concerts have featured USU music students while teaching and performing for young audiences.
These concerts are designed for young children and families to experience live music and learn about different instruments. The casual environment allows children to sit on the floor and move, dance or march as music is played.
The concert is free, completely volunteer-led and has an audience ranging from infants to grandparents. This edition, which featured the tuba and euphonium, was performed by music students Caleb Vineyard and Michael Shipley. They played music ranging from “Theme from ‘Jaws’” and “The Imperial March” to classical pieces. As Vineyard and Shipley played, children and parents marched and danced along to the music. Spectators also had the opportunity to touch the instruments as Vineyard displayed the tuba and sousaphone while Shipley showed the euphonium and marching baritone.
Vineyard is studying tuba performance and music education and said he would gladly participate again.
“It was so much fun just to see the kids dance around while we were playing,” Vineyard said.
Shipley agreed, saying “To play the fun songs like ‘Jaws’
and ‘Star Wars’ and see them dance around, then after to have them come and press the valves and slides and when they change sound they go ‘Oh my gosh, I’m doing something,’ it’s really cool.”
Wilczynski said her goal with the series is for the children to enjoy music, learn about it, spend quality time with family and expand an audience for live music. She noted the concert’s focus is primarily on classical music. She wants to show kids “it’s not something difficult to listen, it can also be a lot of fun.”
Wilczynski, native of Poland, has been residing in Utah for the past 27 years. She initially had the idea for the con-
certs after attending a similar event in Europe. With assistance from Timmons, Wilczynski turned her vision into a reality for the past nine years.
USU studio faculty member and professor Sasha Kasman Laude has become heavily involved with the concerts since 2023.
“We’re really lucky in Logan to have this specific format where kids that are not yet old enough to go to concerts — to you know, sit through something,” Kasman Laude said. “How else are they going to be exposed to music?”
Kasman Laude said the series focuses on entertaining and engaging young minds while being mindful of short attention spans.
“We make sure we don’t play for longer than two and a half minutes at a time,” Kasman Laude said.
She loves the unique environment, noting that “everyone is a little bit in their own world, but at the same time you are experiencing the same music with other people.”
The next event in the Music Box Concert Series is set for March 1 at 11 a.m., featuring a woodwind quintet.
“I would honestly tell people with kids to come,” Shipley said. “I think it would be a really cool experience.”
Alici Archibald is studying journalism. You may spot her playing the trumpet in the Aggie Marching and Pep Bands. —
1/13
- USUPD officers led a basic self-defense and awareness class for staff and students. In community policing, USUPD officers engage with staff and students by participating in and leading community safety education initiatives.
1/16
- A report of vandalism at the Science Engineering Research was made to the USU Department of Public Safety. Upon investigation, it was determined no crime had been committed.
1/19
- USUPD received a call regarding a dog near the Fine Arts Visual Building. An officer patrolled the area but did not locate the animal.
1/22
- K-9 Officer Zoomer did a sweep of all common areas in Central Campus housing for reported suspicious items.
PHOTO BY Alici Archibald
Music student Michael Shipley shows children a euphonium at the Music Box concert on Jan. 25.
Utah House of Representatives members hold meeting at Utah State University
By Bailey Daniels STATESMAN REPORTER
The week before the commencement of the Utah Legislature General Session, four members of the Utah House of Representatives held a public meeting at the David B. Haight Center. Representatives Thomas Peterson, Micheal Petersen, Casey Snider and Jason Thompson were present at the Jan. 16 meeting. The representatives went through a slideshow detailing their main priorities before taking questions from the public. First on the agenda was education.
“You’ll see us continuing to work on reducing burdens for students, teachers and parents,” Petersen said. “I know some of you are interested in higher ed. We’re trying to reinvest funding to maximize value for students and for taxpayers. We’ve got to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck.”
According to the House of Representatives website, Utah’s universities and colleges contribute more than $1 billion a year to the economy. The government’s efforts to improve the worth of higher education for taxpayers and students include trimming administrative costs, consolidating underperforming programs and reinvesting savings into high-demand programs.
“Sometimes programs hang on for a long time, and maybe they’re not as effective as they ought to be,” Petersen said. “We’re trying to streamline and align degree programs with Utah’s pressing workforce needs.”
Additionally, the government plans to increase investments in technical education, including community colleges such as Bridgerland Technical College in Logan. Thompson has been meeting with USU President Elizabeth Cantwell to talk about higher education.
“You are going to hear maybe, ‘higher education cuts.’ That’s probably the wrong word because it’s not what it is, right? It’s a reallocating of funds to make sure that we’re keeping the university moving in the right direction — making sure that students are getting the most
for the money, where when they get out, they can go and make a contribution to our state and our country in a meaningful way,” Thompson said.
Another priority during the meeting was affordability. This included lowering taxes, affordable home ownership and economic prosperity in Utah.
“There’s several major areas. We are actively talking about another tax cut this year, looking at how to get taxes down and get more money back in our constituent’s pockets — how we can support the American dream of home ownership,” Thompson said. “We’re looking at a whole broad range of ideas on how we can help grandchildren or children — help people get into homes that they can afford.”
The state is implementing several measures to help increase home ownership in the Beehive State, including $300 million for the Utah Homes Investment Program, 88,000 new housing units in development and $50 million for a first-time home buyer program. According to the Utah Legislature website, “Government regulations account for more than 20% of the price of building a new home.”
The legislator has been working to streamline the building approval process and remove unnecessary regulations to make owning a house more affordable.
An issue on the minds of many Utahns is infrastructure: energy, water and transportation. As the state’s population continues to grow, officials are making changes to meet rising demands for these essential services.
“I know this year we have a huge focus, governor, as well as legislature, on keeping energy costs affordable for the citizens of Utah,” Peterson said. “As far as options in the state of Utah, we do plan to look heavily into what it would take to develop nuclear in your state, as well as geothermal.”
According to their website, the Utah Legislative Branch states nuclear power uses significantly less land than other clean power sources, such as solar or wind energy. State officials hope to foster an advanced nuclear industry, as it promises to meet many of the growing population’s needs.
$1.1 billion was invested in statewide transportation projects in 2024. The goal is to advance public transportation and lower the amount of personal vehicles on roads.
“With the announcement of the Olympics coming, we know that there’s some big steps we’ve taken making sure we’re ready for that as Utah grows,” Peterson said. “Transportation is always a delicate balance of balancing how we get those people from A to B.”
Investments in the State Water Plan will be essential to ensuring everyone has access to the water they need.
“We have fought really hard to make sure the water is there for Cache County when we grow,” Snider said. “If you look at the Wasatch Front there, they are ahead of us in population growth. They’re ahead of us in demands for water, and they’re running out.”
According to the Department of Public Safety, there are 1,500 documented gang members in Utah, but the actual number is predicted to be closer to 4,500.
“I am shocked at the level of gang violence and how much it’s growing, especially in our urban areas,” Thompson said. “The amount of fentanyl that’s coming into our community and coming through our state is astounding.”
To combat crime, especially relating to illegal drugs, lawmakers have increased penalties. Additionally, the Utah Legislature created a new division within the Department of Corrections in 2024 to improve inmates’s mental health and help them reintegrate into society.
Lastly, the representatives spoke about what they will do to hold the government accountable.
“As a caucus, we’re really trying to fight against government overreach. We’re trying to make sure that the agencies within our own state are held accountable,” Petersen said. “We’re working on strengthening elections.”
Bailey Daniels is a junior studying technology systems. She loves Lana Del Rey, sweet treats and all things whimsical.
— bailey.daniels@usu.edu
PHOTOS BY Aubrey Holdaway
Michael J. Petersen speaks at the majority caucus at the David B. Haight Center on Jan. 16.
Attendees listen to the majority caucus at the David B. Haight Center on Jan. 16.
Order up: History of the Hub
By Bailey Daniels STATESMAN REPORTER
From Chinese food to grilled goods, baked sweets to footlong subs, the Hub has long served a variety of cuisines, constantly shifting to meet the palates of students and faculty alike. Located on the bottom floor of the TSC, the Hub has a lasting history of adaptation and suppressing appetites.
According to a book titled “USU Food Services Annual Report and History” by Marnie Corbett, the domestic art department handled the early days of food service at the university. They didn’t manage restaurants to feed students and faculty throughout the day but prepared banquets for special events.
“At one time, the college received a visit from 250 members of the legislature for which the girls of the department cooked a five-course dinner. Because the number of the girls in the department was small, the cooking for this meal was done for three days preceding the dinner,” Corbett wrote.
In a recollection from professor Abby L. Marlatt, who started the domestic art department in 1890, she wrote that boys in the college helped the girls carry food “up narrow ladder-like stairs from the basement kitchen to one of the sewing rooms which was used as a temporary dining room.”
As told by Corbett, the Agricultural College Cafeteria opened in 1910, serving two hot meals a day. In 1935, a new building called the School of Home Economics was built in the southeast corner of the Quad, including a cafeteria offering made-to-order meals. However, during World War II, this cafeteria was for the military only.
The Union Building, now known as the TSC, opened
in 1953. During this time, the Fountain, which served quick lunches and soft drinks, was also opened where the USU Campus Store is today. In 1963, the Fountain was renamed the Hub and moved to its current location.
Alan Andersen is the Dining Services executive director and started working for USU in 1989, taking over the Hub two years later. Andersen thought back to the Hub’s various amenities from decades ago.
“You’d walk down one line, and there was four stations for food, a big salad bar in the middle and a saucer of ice cream on the side — drinks and a big huge cooler. You’d walk in and get what you want, you pay and you go out,” Andersen said. “On the other side of the wall was a bowling alley and a billiards place, as well as an arcade.”
According to Andersen, repairs on the bowling alley were too expensive, so it had to close.
“They kept the arcade — there was still pool. There was everything from a video store where you could rent movies. They had a flower shop there — a lot of different downtown businesses,” Andersen said.
Ming Yan, student from China, was hired to open the first restaurant in the food court. It was called Hub Wok and offered Asian cuisine. Alongside Hub Wok in 1992 was the Mexican Fiesta and the All American Grill, now called Scotsman’s Corner.
The longest-standing restaurant has been Scotsman’s Corner, despite changing names more than once.
“It’s always been breakfast all day and cheeseburgers,” Andersen said.
Aside from that, Taco Time was there for over 20 years until last year.
Amber Schoenfeld is the current manager of the Marketplace. She started working for USU’s Dining Services
as a student in 2002. She worked at Hazel’s in the Hub, which baked fresh bread. Around the time she started, there was also Taco Time, Hogi Yogi Teriyaki Stix, Outback Chicken and Pizza Hut.
Originally, Taco Time had a limited menu but then transitioned to a full-service menu.
“The biggest challenge with that is we used to only have fryers that were clear back on the other side. We’d have to run all the way from Taco Time all the way over to those fryers and then back over,” Schoenfeld said.
Former Dining Services director Dean Wright, who worked for USU in the ‘90s, is credited with having a lot of forward-thinking when it came to the Hub.
“Dean Wright brought a lot of vision. When we did the food court and started changing that, did some new things up there, people started thinking differently about Dining Services. That’s when we had the library come say ‘Hey, would you consider a coffee shop in the library?’”
Andersen said.
In 1992, the Hub won the National Association of College and University Food Services grand prize for the best cash operation on any college campus in the United States at the time.
Andersen and Schoenfeld attribute the ongoing success of the Hub largely to their employees.
“I think most managers — we get a lot of our best ideas from our employees. Most of us are more in my age range than the younger age range,” Schoenfeld said. “We know what we like, but do we know what our current customer base likes? We talk to them to get their feedback.”
Today, the Hub houses Subway, Caffe Ibis, Scotsman’s Corner, Chester’s Chicken, Campus Carnitas, Lotus Kitchen and Sage Pizza. Its grand opening week will be held Feb. 3-7, and Chester’s Chicken will be serving its food at Casino Night that Friday.
“It’s been a crazy ride, and it’s still fun,” Andersen said. “We’re always saying ‘What’s a better way? What can we do better?’ We never put our feet up on the desk and relax. We’ll go and find the new and exciting thing, and that makes it fun.”
— bailey.daniels@usu.edu
Column: Behind the curtain with Molotov Dress
By Ezra Robertson AGGIE RADIO DJ
The equally strange and talented band Molotov Dress is making waves and carving a unique spot for themselves in Utah’s music scene.
The copper connoisseurs, who sell copper pipes for only one cent at shows, flexed their post-punk sensibilities to a new crowd in Logan on Jan. 23 during their WhySound debut.
Kicking off their set, the band erupted into “Bunker Song,” a rolling track built upon drummer KC’s airy cymbal playing. The crowd — mostly made up of metal heads and emo regulars turning out for bands Evaura and Sleep Cult — broke out into dance, proving the appeal of Molotov Dress’ dance-punk and math rock vocabulary.
In between songs the band screamed “free Palestine” and used an expletive to call out U.S. President Donald Trump. Overt political messaging is a common theme in the band’s lyricism and is one way they stay true to their post-punk inspirations.
I was fortunate enough to speak with the band and pick their brains on their songwriting and artistic inspirations.
Q: How do you think politics inform your songwriting, and how do you think that manifests in your music?
Wes, guitar: About 99%. There’s observations, whether those are personal or worldly. A significant portion of [songwriting] stems from political observations.
KC, drums: We try to be more satirical about our music, but growing up in Utah as a queer person is just a lot. Politicians like Mike Lee and senators who are supposed to be representing our interests go into [our writing] a lot.
Sam, bass: A lot of the points of view in our music are very satirical. The songs are speaking from the points of view of people we don’t agree with. It’s putting on their weird lens and just observing how [messed] up everything is.
Q: What are some of the inspirations for Molotov Dress as a project?
KC: All around, we come from a lot of different backgrounds and love all different kinds of music, but we definitely love the sound coming out of the windmill scene in Brixton, like Squid — even Crack Cloud out in Canada and that kind of resurgence of the post-punk scene.
Sam: On the earlier front too, a lot of those ‘80s post-punk bands are inspirations. Where I’m on bass, I’m doing that kind of syncopated style from the Minutemen and Gang of Four.
Q: Would you say that Gang of Four might even come across thematically?
KC: Definitely.
Wes: There’s a lot of direct things that we like that we draw from [sonically], but we also find lots of inspiration from very different genres.
KC: Like Tony Williams and jazz.
Wes: Yeah, of course. Not to bring up politics again, but I think there are a lot of musicians who point out things lyrically who I draw inspiration from in the way they’re able to portray different images or stories.
Jacob, trumpet: I’m going to get a little sappy here with my answer, but the way that I play in this group is very inspired by these three. When I joined the band, a lot of the songs we play had already been written, so I didn’t want to get in the way or change things but more figure out how I slot into things. I pull from what I’m hearing and amplify what’s already there. It’s been a lot of fun to sit on top of the base they have built and to figure out what I think works, responding to the solid foundation that [the band] had.
Sam: Jacob is kind of the secret sauce.
Ezra Robertson is an art pre-major in his first year of college at Utah State. As an active member in his community, he can be found either photographing the local music scene or at In-N-Out with his friends.
Christian Newton is the host of “Christian’s Groove Hour,” airing Tuesdays from 11:30am-12:30pm on Aggie Radio 92.3. His show features a wide range of genres, keeping listeners on their toes week to week.
When I’m Thinking About You The Sundays
Graceland Too Phoebe Bridgers
Epitaph King Crimson
Sha Ugly (UK)
So What Pinegrove
PHOTO BY Ezra Robertson
Wes Hansen playing guitar while laying down onstage at WhySound on Jan. 23.
“Push it, poet:” WhySlam keeps poetry alive
By Essence Barnes STATESMAN REPORTER
The eclectic prose of Logan’s hidden poets filled WhySound on Jan. 23 during WhySlam, a recurring slam poetry competition held at the local hole-in-the-wall venue.
WhySlam poetry nights are typically held once a month at the WhySound venue, but this most recent event came after a four-month hiatus.
Taylor Wilson, one of WhySound’s owners, said the WhySlam poetry nights were started roughly 10 years ago by two creative writing students from USU. It has run off and on since then but was recently brought back by popular demand.
“I’m hoping that more of the poet community can rise up, take it over and run it themselves even,” Wilson said. “But for now, we’re really just keeping it alive and keeping it something that people can come out to.”
WhySlam events begin at the door, where attendees pay to be either a reader or a guest. Guests are selected at random to serve as judges for the night’s performers. Readers are allowed two minutes to take the stage and perform their original poems to the judges and audience members.
According to Wilson, most events have 12 performers and five judges. After each poet performs, judges from the audience will use whiteboards to rate each poem out of 10.
“We’re judging at these, but the whole intention of that is to make it more of a fun environment and kind of push people to think about the poem they’re performing a little more seriously,” Wilson said.
Readers who received the highest scores then move on to the second round of judging, where winners for third, second and first place are crowned.
Bryan Sierra, winner of the Jan. 23 WhySlam event, said judges are encouraged to be honest and fair in their ratings to push performers to do their best.
“Usually the feedback is honest and usually Taylor hammers home the point that judges need to be really judgy,” Sierra said.
WhySound is one of the only venues in Logan that provides a space specifically for slam poetry. Sierra said he has performed twice at WhySlam because he simply “didn’t know where else to perform.”
“It’s a little different than most of our events because most of the events we’re doing are concerts or musicrelated,” Wilson said. “But lyricism is always based in poetry, so there’s a big connection between songwriting and poetry.”
Sierra said having the ability to perform poetry live provides him and his fellow poets with a unique outlet and community to express themselves.
“It’s a chance for me to be understood, or at least have the chance to be understood,” Sierra said.
According to Sierra, the poet community at WhySlam is supportive and genuine, and they provide all performers with a comfortable environment where they can feel free to speak their truths.
“People here always support each other,” Sierra said. “People will usually come up and talk to you after and say ‘I think you were great,’ and I think that’s really cool.”
Sierra has been writing poetry for about two years while working at Walmart. When he performs his poetry, he hopes audiences can take away from his readings he is more than just a Walmart associate.
“It’s really important because sometimes people don’t say what immediately comes to their minds,” Sierra said. “When people do slam poetry, it allows them to release a lot of baggage.”
Winning WhySlam poets are awarded prizes varying from small vintage pumpkin lamps to large wooden cutouts of the word ‘dream.’ According to Wilson, their funky collection of prizes usually comes from local antique or thrift stores.
“It’s just something that the winners can take home to remember the night in some way,” Wilson said. “Sometimes, we’ll do gift cards and things like that too, but usually it’s just some fun, silly stuff.”
According to Britannica, one of the aspects of slam poetry that makes it so unique is the element of audience participation. WhySound incorporates this element through the use of unique callouts that have been adapted to the WhySlam tradition throughout the years.
First-time WhySlam readers are often endearingly nicknamed virgins. Nervous readers in need of a bit of encouragement are told to, “Push it, poet!” Readers whose poems extend the two-minute performance time receive a comical, “You rat bastard, you ruined it for everyone,” from the audience.
“It’s just fun — there’s a lot of crowd engagement, and it kind of relieves some of the stress of being up there when everyone is engaged and commenting or adding to the fun,” Wilson said. “It’s just little things like that to just push more of a lowkey experience.”
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
Riley McCurdy shares an original poem before the opening of the second round of WhySlam on Jan 23.
DramaCon takes center stage at USU
By Brook Wood STATESMAN REPORTER
The Utah State University campus buzzed with activity on Jan. 25 as thespians from high schools across the state arrived for the Utah Theatre Association’s 2025 DramaCon: Level Up!
For three days, students learned from professionals and professors alike about the ins and outs of the theater world. Workshops, performances and speakers helped provide an interactive experience for the students to learn new skills and see what a future in the theater arts could look like.
Kirsten Anderson is the secretary and merch director for the UTA board.
“The high schoolers, who are looking at what colleges to attend, have an opportunity to connect with the professors and can ask questions about different programs, different opportunities and what different schools offer,” Anderson said.
Anderson said UTA may hire professionals to lead workshops, but many professors and actors volunteer or ask to come back to the conference each year.
This year’s conference featured various famous actors and singers, including Carissa Fiorillo, former Radio City Rockette and Broadway star, who presented four scholarships for students to attend the weeklong Broadway intensives camp in Times Square, and Dion Graham, award-winning audiobook narrator and professional actor.
Casey Ellis, known for his talents as a tenor in the cinematic pop trio GENTRI, performed in the Daines Concert Hall with actor and singer Megan Heaps on Jan. 27 for the final conference meeting.
Matt Conover, vice president of Disney Live Entertainment at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, was one of the keynote speakers at the conference. He also held workshops for students interested in acting at Disney locations and discussed the career opportunities and avenues for those interested in the theater arts.
“I think you all here in Utah are very fortunate with a very robust arts program in high school,” Conover said. “I am here to celebrate that and hopefully make sure that people know — students and parents — that there are jobs in this business, and those jobs aren’t just in New York and on Broadway.”
According to Anderson, a big part of the conference was showing high schoolers theater can be an actual career they can pursue.
“Theater doesn’t have to end at high school. There are lots of opportunities and so many different opportunities,” Anderson said.
There were a variety of workshops offered each day of the conference, including advanced stage makeup, large-scale puppet design, lighting, sound, set and costume design, practices and skills for the voice and for the stage, dancing/choreography, songwriting and playwriting.
“I think UTA gives [high schoolers] that opportunity to really say, ‘Yes, I’m committing to make this, so that I get to make it like that person up there on that stage or that person who’s teaching my workshop,’” Anderson said. “This isn’t just something fun to do — this can be an actual, lifelong experience.”
Conover said high school students don’t go into theater in college because they believe they will never make it in Broadway or the professional acting career.
He emphasized the use of Disney Live Entertainment as a tool to reach career avenues previously thought to be unreachable.
“I was a theater student in high school. Back then, I didn’t even know that this job existed, much less wanted to do it and be able to come to a setting like this and to have thousands of high school students see someone who was just where they are. It is attainable,” Conover said.
The students were able to watch several performances over three days. The shows were put on by Logan High School, Sky View High School, Green Canyon High School and Utah State University.
Productions included “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “Shrek the Musical,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Between the Lines.” Additionally, UTA’s joint production “SIX: Teen Edition” was performed as part of one of the workshops.
Faculty from the Caine College of the Arts, along with student volunteers, helped set up and ensure the events ran smoothly.
“USU has been fabulous at giving us support,” Anderson said. “We had more student help than we’ve ever had, setting up the merch table, getting things where they need to go. It feels that USU is welcoming us here, and the facilities have also all been really great. That’s not always the case at other colleges, so this has been a really good one. I would love to come back here.”
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 Jack Burton
High school students perform on stage at the 2025 DramaCon held in the Daryl Chase Fine Arts Center on Jan 25.
Warm clothes, warm hearts
By Esther Owens STATESMAN REPORTER
Agroup of Aggies are exchanging warmth, confidence and a sense of community by hosting a winter clothing drive on campus in February.
Christian Record, sophomore studying human resource management, got the idea in a leadership class he is taking and put together a team to make the project happen.
“We just sparked it up out of initiative,” Record said. “They told us to do a project that will benefit the community, to achieve some sort of extraordinary goal, and I think this would be a good way to do it.”
The swap will be held on campus on Feb. 13. While the location is not yet determined as of publication, it will likely be in the Sunburst and International Lounge in the TSC from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Participants are expected to bring at least one item of winter clothing to exchange for another. However, the goal is to meet the needs of the students, and Record said they will work with those who are unable to bring anything.
“They can reach out to us, and we will provide them with clothes,” Record said. “This is all about providing warmth and confidence.”
Students who would rather only donate their items can do that as well.
“Maybe someone doesn’t want to exchange — maybe they just have a bunch of excess clothes they want to bring,” Record said. “We will gladly take them. It’s more than just the exchange, it’s a drive.”
Having noticed students walking around cold on campus, Record said they hope to brighten up a lot of people’s days with the drive.
“I’m really hoping that we can just provide at least 50 students with some new clothes and some happiness,” Record said.
Carson Christensen is another member of the team working on the drive. Being friends with Record, he was happy to get on board and also has a personal tie to the cause.
“There’s been times in my life where I was cold, and I couldn’t get warm,” Christensen said. “That’s something that I’d like to see others have the opportunity of — to be warm.”
All of the excess items from the swap will be donated to local shelters.
“We are planning to donate everything to nonprofits, so it’s entirely community-based,” Record said. “Nothing that’s going to get flipped at, say, the DI [Deseret Industries] or whatever other thrift stores there are.”
BY
All excess items will be donated to the Warming Center in Logan, the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake and the Lantern House in Ogden.
As busy students, coordinating a big project has had its struggles.
“We all just have such different lives and schedules,” Christensen said. “It’s really complicated. And that’s another thing that drives people away — they don’t want to take time out of their own busy lives and schedules.”
The team has also had challenges in getting support for the event but is now working with directors at Aggie First Scholars, a program that focuses on first-generation college students, to get resources to conduct the drive. Record said if the project goes well, he’d like to make it an annual event earlier in the season.
“We’d love to put this drive on way before the winter starts in the first place, just so people can get prepared,” Record said. “I think it’d be a great tradition.”
Students can look out for flyers advertising the drive posted around campus.
Esther Owens is a sophomore studying journalism. When she’s not busy working on a story, she’s probably at the climbing wall.
esther.owens@usu.edu
DESIGN
Kaylee Robinson
Skating where the sagebrush grows
By Ashley Dorius STATEWIDE REPORTER
Sparkling costumes, glittering ice and shimmering blades will fill the George S. Eccles Ice Center for the first collegiate figure skating competition in Utah. USU’s Figure Skating Club will host the competition from Feb. 7-9. There will be teams from several states, and 225 skaters are signed up to compete.
According to Kyra Hoctor, club president and head coach, people across the western United States will be in attendance.
“In all honesty, I’m just excited for so many athletes to come and see Utah as a whole,” Hoctor said. “A lot of people that we’ve talked to have never been to Utah before, so teams from California and Arizona are really excited to come and experience it.”
Hoctor said there will be several events.
“We have our team event, and then we’ve got singles, so we have men’s and women’s events, and then we have free skates,” Hoctor said. “There are short programs, and we have some ice dance events as well.”
Hoctor also shared what event she’s most looking forward to.
“Event-wise, I’m really looking forward to team maneuvers,” Hoctor said. “It’s where each school has a team on the ice, performing different elements and competing against each other. And that’s the only time it’s team competing against team. Everything else is individual because skating is a really individual sport.”
Brook Loveless, the social media club, said she’s watching senior men’s and women’s free skate. She’s also competing and excited to perform. She said the music with lyrics she’s selected is a new experience for her.
“I just really enjoyed the way that the music flows,” Loveless said. “So in the past, I’ve actually had performances
with no words, just instrumental. I felt like I couldn’t really feel the music as much. But this kind of helps me feel it more.”
Adelynn Shirts, the club’s volunteer, fundraising and outreach co-chair, also shared what events she’s looking forward to watching.
“I’m most looking forward to watching the senior ladies long and short programs,” Shirts said. “They’re like our highest level skaters. They’ve been doing this their entire lives, and they come basically every single morning and work their butts off, and you can really tell in their programs.”
Shirts is also competing in two events, a program and a pattern dance. She explained that a pattern dance is a dance where every competitor performs the same movements, and scores are given based on the quality of their work.
“I’m doing a pattern dance that I’m really excited for,” Shirts said. “It’s been something that I’ve practiced on my own and haven’t really had much direction from my coaches on, and so I’m excited to see how that ends up coming out.”
When it comes to the club itself, Hoctor said it’s grown quite a bit since she joined, allowing them to host competitions like the one coming up.
“It’s really been awesome to see the club grow and see how many people have joined,” Hoctor said. “When I started, we had maybe 10 members, and now we have 35.”
Hoctor said the growth is not just in numbers but in skill.
“We’ve seen people that had never even learned how to skate before now competing for the first time,” Hoctor said. “The first time they put skates on was maybe two years ago, and now they’re competing, and they never would have had that opportunity if we hadn’t posted.”
not very often you get the opportunity to participate in a team or group setting. And so being part of our practices like this and getting to know people and being able to support everyone and also get that support at competitions has been my favorite part. It’s been the thing that’s kept me coming back.”
Club members also requested their fellow Aggies show up to the competition.
“We’re really hoping we can see some of our fellow students and even staff and faculty and professors at the university and other members of the community come and support us,” Shirts said. “We’ve been working really hard to make this a great experience for everyone involved.”
For more information about the competition and the club in general, visit their Instagram account @usufigureskating
Loveless also shared what she loves about being part of the club.
“I really love all of the coaches, and it’s a lot cheaper than what you could get elsewhere, like for teaching how to skate, which is not something that you can come across pretty easily,” Loveless said.
The club is $25 to join, with two practices a week. Shirts added to Loveless’ statements.
“I have really loved getting to know people,” Shirts said. “Figure skating is a very solitary sport, so it’s
Ashley Dorius is a sophomore studying journalism. She got bangs recently.
— ashley.dorius@usu.edu
PHOTOS BY Ashley Dorius
Yasamin Osqueezadeh skates at the George S. Eccles Ice Center on Jan. 26.
Adelynn Shirts skates at the George S. Eccles Ice Center on Jan. 26.
Brook Loveless skates at the George S. Eccles Ice Center on Jan. 26.
Kat Adams skates at the George S. Eccles Ice Center on Jan. 26.
Scan the QR code to dedicate a Scan the QR code to dedicate a song during the Broadcast of Love song during the Broadcast of Love
By Malory Rau STATESMAN REPORTER
It’s not Anora, it’s Ani.
It’s not Anora, it’s Ani,” claims the head-strong lead, who shines as bright as her red hair tinsel in the role of Sean Baker’s “Anora.”
The 97 Academy Awards, commonly referred to as the Oscars are set to take place March 2. This year’s Best Picture contenders tell stories from post-war time Europe, Mexico — with a musical twist — and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn where the one and only Ani calls home.
“Anora,” set in modern times, follows the story of exotic nightclub dancer Ani who gets her chance at a “Cinderella story” by marrying the son of a Russian oligarch Vanya, whom she meets through the club. When news of Vanya and Ani’s nuptials makes it way back to his parents, viewers follow Ani, Vanya and a group of Russian henchmen as they navigate a chaotic 48 hours of fighting, running, searching and screaming, all in hopes of achieving a happy ending.
The heart of this film most definitely lies within Ani herself. Played by actress Mikey Madison, who received an Academy Award nomination for this role, Ani’s Brooklyn boldness and attitude are qualities so unseen it transports the viewer right into Brighton Beach. Her tenacity and big dreams are what connect her with all the Gen-Z young women navigating the lost feeling that comes with their early 20s.
Her romantic counterpart Vanya also embodies a different part of early adulthood: the classic “Peter Pan Syndrome.” Vanya, played by Mark Eydelshteyn, is a 21-year-old on vacation from Russia who is running, both literally and metaphorically, from a perfectly laid out path to adulthood via working for his father. The chosen ignorance and indifference Vanya displays throughout the film goes to show his fear of losing out on life despite seeming to have wealth and power.
The two act as foils for each other’s dreams as Vanya is seeking the freedom that Ani seems to have in America, where in turn, Ani is searching for a fuller lifestyle, more than her life at the nightclub.
The editing of this film creates a rollercoaster-like feeling as viewers experience the loud highs of partying and chaotic fighting, followed by sudden silent lows as the characters become disoriented with themselves and those around them. It is also a peak into the reality behind working the nightlife crowds anywhere and humanizes
those who profit off the party scene. The cinematography of Brighton Beach is understated as it propels the story forward. The use of lighting to portray Ani’s experience is simple and clean as it lets the larger-than-life personalities of its characters take center stage.
The one fault of this film is the soundtrack tends to fail to flow from scene to scene. The movie is chaotic as can be, thus this could be a stylistic choice that is harder to pick up on. With nightclub music especially, it is difficult to find variation in that while still enhancing the story.
In contrast, the writing, paired with exceptional acting, brightens and adds all the personality to this extremely unique film like neon club lights. In addition to Vanya and Ani, the complex characters, especially that of the Russian henchman Igor, are the perfect salt on the rim throughout the film.
Igor, played by Yuriy Borisov serves as almost a reflection of Ani. Shots of her point of view often have him in the background watching and experiencing with her. He acts as the only person who respects her as someone fighting for their happiness and the only one who sees her beyond the girl Vanya married. When he offers her the red scarf because she is cold, it shows how he is the only one who sees her as human.
Igor’s empathy for Ani is a highlight of this film that gives it rank among the other Oscar contenders. As young adults, we are often trying our best to survive this new world of responsibility — Igor’s empathy feels foreign because it’s kindness we rarely give ourselves, let alone others. He watches as Ani runs from her mysterious past to a future of uncertainty — one that has her refusing to answer to Anora, a name of Russian heritage meaning honor — the same Anora who only knows two things: to love and to fight, and she fights like hell. So much so viewers may find themselves agreeing with Igor, whose name means great warrior, at the end of the film when he says, “I like Anora better.”
Malory Rau is a junior pursuing a minor in film studies. Her favorite films include “Bottoms” and “Barbie.”
— m.rau@usu.edu
Every seven years, Utah State University (USU) undergoes a comprehensive evaluation visit by its accrediting body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The NWCCU review team evaluates on a number of standards that focus on student success, institutional effectiveness and mission, as well as governance, resources and capacity.
The NWCCU last reaffirmed accreditation of the Utah State University in 2018 and has scheduled its next comprehensive evaluation visit for April 14-16, 2025. This public notification serves as an invitation for third-party comments, which can be submitted online at: nwccu.tfaforms.net/f/thirdparty or sent directly to the NWCCU at:
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities 8060 165th Avenue NE, Suite 100 Redmond, WA 98052-3981
Telephone: (425) 558-4224
Signed comments must be received by the NWCCU by April 4, 2025 Copies of these comments will be made available to USU and the evaluation committee.
Last week’s solution:
Sudoku puzzles are provided by www.sudokuoftheday.com.
Center For Community
CFC, TSC Room 227.
Monday through Thursday 8:00 a m to 7:00 p m Friday 8:00 a m to 5:00 p m
Are you familiar with the meaning of the term "community"?
Here are some examples:
"I’m struggling with this homework "
"Let’s study together! We can help each other."
"I feel like I'm all alone "
"Hey, want to join us?
"I feel overwhelmed There’s so much to do, and I’m not sure I can keep up "
"Hey, don’t worry. We’re all in this together. Let’s study as a group!"
"But I’m not good at this topic " "That’s okay! We all have different strengths."
"I don’t understand why they’re acting like that It’s so annoying!"
"Have you tried thinking about why they might feel that way? "Maybe they’re dealing with something tough. People don’t always act how we expect”.
SOUL FOOD EVENT
