The Utah Statesman - October 2, 2023

Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Resources for the unhoused in Logan

By Kris Carpenter NEWS REPORTER

Bonnie Hickan’s fleece blanket was decorated with bright pink and green butterflies, and she sighed as she draped it over her thin air mattress. After collapsing on her bed, she rubbed her bare feet together, running fingers through her gray hair as she laughed with her friend, Jasmine Sage.

The two unhoused women met each other after Hickan sat next to Sage on a Smith’s bench, the pair becoming fast friends. With both women nearing their early seventies and both being unhoused since the summer (Hickan since June, and Sage since July), they noted how their friendship made Logan’s cold nights bearable.

“We lucked out with the people that we meet,” Sage said, smiling and covering her bare feet and legs in a small trash bag to keep away bugs and keep in warmth.

Sage and Hickan are two of the hundreds estimated to be unhoused in 2023, according to Utah’s Point-in-Time count. Each January, social work volunteers and workers with the Bear River Association of Governments, or BRAG, assess the amount of unhoused individuals in Cache County.

In 2023, the county’s official “homeless” count was that 152 individuals were either staying in emergency housing, transitional housing (including domestic violence service providers), or an uninhabitable location, such as a car or a park.

“Logan City in particular is a really low-income area, and that means that with the context of the housing market, and the cost of goods and services and wages, we just have a lot of households, students and broader community alike, that are really vulnerable to homelessness,” said Jess Lucero, the department head of USU’s social work program.

Sage noted how she’s felt like the community has rallied around her and Hickan — over the past few months of living outside Smith’s, she’s received several containers of food and drinks from those walking in and out of the grocery store. Just last month, Hickan received the air mattress from a stranger.

BRAG has also changed the women’s lives for the better, Sage said. She or Hickan could have the options to stay in emergency hotel rooms until BRAG can help them find more permanent housing.

On Oct. 2, Sage said she’ll be looking into a new apartment that could accommodate her disabilities. Within the next few days, Hickan said she’ll be moving to either Massachusetts or Pennsylvania, where she can hopefully find housing there — even though she’s spent most of her life in Logan.

As a nonprofit organization, BRAG works to find places of permanent residence for unhoused people in Logan, whether that be through paying for the resident’s initial security deposit, finding affordable apartments, working with landlords to have available units when an individual is unhoused or giving emergency funding after an eviction.

CAPSA exists as another resource for many victims of domestic violence, Lucero added; however, it cannot act as a permanent shelter for all unhoused individuals, as there needs to be enough room for those who have been victims of abuse.

However, despite the help that BRAG gives, there is still no permanent shelter for unhoused individuals.

Nicole Burnard, a USU alum and director of the Willaim A. Burnard Warming Center, said when people don’t see tents or people on the streets and sidewalks, there’s less awareness of the problem.

“Homelessness looks different here — it’s not as visible as it is in bigger cities,” Burnard said. “Because it’s such a small community, someone who’s experiencing homelessness can feel very stigmatized, and so they wouldn’t necessarily want people to know that they’re unhoused.”

Hickan agreed. “I think people don’t want to face that this is a problem,” she said.

BRAG human services director Lucas Martin said he and the rest of the organization are working to continue providing resources for unhoused residents, even if currently, there isn’t enough funding for a permanent shelter in Cache County.

“We will continue to pursue additional funds to try and increase what’s available for rapid rehousing programs to help pay for deposit and rent control to stabilize families transitioning,” Martin said.

While Cache County doesn’t have a permanent shelter, Burnard said the warming shelter — which she estab -

lished last year — can especially help unhoused individuals sleep in a warm bed during Logan’s bone-chilling winter months.

Unfortunately, despite the warming shelter’s benefits, it only begins operation in December; therefore, a permanent unhoused shelter would be the most beneficial for Logan residents, Burnard said.

To read the rest of this story, visit usustatesman.com.

Kris Carpenter is a senior studying English and Journalism. When they’re not reporting and writing, they’re spending time with their spouse, reading, or playing Dungeons and Dragons.

PHOTO BY Claire Ott

Park benches located outside of the Logan Tabernacle.

Federal loan payment options

By Savannah Burnard NEWS REPORTER

Student loan repayments begin again this year — here’s what students should do.

According to the federal student aid website, the U.S. Department of Education paused loan payments and set interest rates to zero percent for eligible student loans with the start of COVID-19 in March 2020. However, after three years, student loan interest resumed on Sept. 1, 2023, and payments will be due starting in October.

Christina Ayres is the director of federal aid in the student financial support department at USU.

“It’s crucial to be well informed and prepared about student loan repayments,” Ayres wrote in an article informing students about loan repayments.

One way Ayres said students can prepare themselves for repayments is by logging into their own portal on the federal student aid website, where they will be able to see the amount of money they owe and who their loan servicer is.

Ayres said it’s important for students to understand who their loan servicer is and how much they owe before starting repayment. After students do this, students should be aware of the types of repayment plans the Federal Student Aid offers.

Ayres said standard, graduated and extended repayment plans

have set monthly payments and are more structured. However, she said the Federal Student Aid also offers income-driven repayment plans which are tailored according to the student’s income and family size.

For whichever repayment plan a student chooses, Ayres said it’s important to make the payment on time to maintain a good credit score and avoid additional interest or fees.

“For those who might find it challenging to keep up with payments, or are leaving for a few semesters, consider setting up automatic deductions or exploring deferment or forbearance options,” Ayres said.

Ayres said in certain professions or situations like school closure or disability, loans might be forgiven or discharged.

“It’s worth exploring these options to see if you qualify,” Ayres said.

Alex Pardinas, a sophomore at USU, said this year was her first year submitting a FAFSA because she needed to borrow money, but she wishes she knew more about the process before starting.

“Before applying to FAFSA I knew that there was a possibility to get grants and loans, but that was pretty much it,” Pardinas said.

“I didn’t know which one accrued interest faster. I really couldn’t tell the difference between the two.”

Pardinas said she assumed she would have to call the financial aid office at the end of her college career or wait until she received a letter saying a payment was due.

“I really just signed up and just took out any money that I could get. I had no idea what kind of loan I was getting,” Pardinas said. “I don’t know when I’m going to have to pay it off, or how soon I’m going to have to start paying it off either.”

Ayres said a lot of past and present students have questions about the repayment process and the university wants to help them understand what they can do.

“Each student has their own federal aid counselor that they can set an appointment with and come in and we can explain everything about federal aid,” Ayres said.

She said even if students haven’t submitted a FAFSA yet, they can still meet with a counselor to learn more about how federal aid works.

“Utah State University is committed to helping students understand their options and providing counseling appointments for current or past students who need help with loan repayments,” Ayres said.

For more information on federal student aid, visit studentaid. gov.

Savannah is a student in the journalism program. She loves meeting new people and trying new things.

— savannah.burnard@usu. edu

PHOTO BY Wyatt Merchant

The Student Finanical Support office, located in TSC 106, on Sept. 27.

College of Engineering is a new title sponsor at The Leonardo Museum

exploration exhibit, an exhibit on satellite expeditions and two exhibits on a new sustainable aviation fuel.

Jensen said USU students and faculty have spent the last two or three years creating a sustainable fuel from algae.

Students in the College of Engineering have also been working to help the Brazilian Space Agency solve a problem with their GPS reliability. Jenson reveals the FLIGHT exhibit will also have a space dedicated to this work.

It will be a process to get all of USU’s contributions to the museum, but they plan to have a “Future of Flight” displayed on an entire wall of the exhibit.

USU faculty and ambassadors will be welcomed at the museum for educational lectures, special events and workshops due to a new Engineer in Residence program. Nov. 4 will mark the first formal event with USU’s exhibits. The reception will be held between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Anderson hopes to come up with a system where all USU affiliated individuals will be able to enjoythe FLIGHT exhibit in addition to the entire museum all day.

As of now, Anderson said any visitor with a USU student ID is guaranteed free admission.

You can learn more about the USU College of Engineering at their website, engineering.usu.edu.

You can visit The Leonardo at 209 E 500 S in Salt Lake, and more information can be found on their website, theleonardo.org.

By Andie Allen NEWS REPORTER

Utah State University is “Utah’s aerospace school,” according to Matthew Jensen, director of marketing and public relations in USU’s College of Engineering.

This is why Justin Anderson, director of marketing and events at The Leonardo museum, is excited to welcome USU’s college of engineering as their FLIGHT: The Next Leg exhibit’s title sponsor for the next three years.

FLIGHT is dedicated to aerospace study in the STEM and creativity museum. It was opened in 2016 and has had more than 500,000 visitors. Currently on display are full sized aircraft, flight simulators and interactive exhibits.

As title sponsor, FLIGHT will soon be home to many exhibits USU students have been working on. As of now, Jensen plans for one aerodynamics exhibit, a space

UTAH STATE

BLOTTER POLICE

9/11/23

- Officers responded to a report of a theft of a detour sign in front of Blue Square. No suspects have been identified.

“We were fortunate to find an organization that is as visionary and cutting edge as USU’s College of Engineering,” Anderson said. “It really felt like the perfect fit.”

“We’re a natural match,” Jensen said. “USU is the best option in Utah for flight, airplanes and space exploration study.”

Jensen hopes the partnership with The Leonardo will improve brand visibility and awareness.

As young people visit the FLIGHT exhibit, they will see that USU “is the best option for aerospace studies”, and it will “inspire the next generation of engineers,” Jensen said.

“We want The Leonardo to be a real cultural gathering place where big conversations can happen,” Anderson said.

USU’s “amazing leaders in engineering” and its “committed and loyal following” will serve the museum’s vision for its future.

9/11/23

-Police responded to a reported panic alarm at the TSC. After speaking with employees, it was discovered that it the alarm had somehow been activated.

9/14/23

-Police responded to the report of a dog with no tags and provided information for resources and care for the animals.

Andie is a senior studying English and journalism. She loves the sun, music, and reading.

— andie.allen@usu.edu

9/14/23

-An officer responded to the report of a suspected overdose and provided care until medics arrived.

9/17/23

-An officer responded to a report of possible controlled substance consumption. After investigation, no of evidence of any controlled substance was found.

Submitted Photo

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for new plaza in downtown Logan

By Malory Rau NEWS REPORTER

Undeterred by the chilly fall morning, Logan residents donned their jackets and headed downtown on Sept. 23 for the opening of the Carol and Jim Laub Plaza.

Located at 55 N. Main St., the plaza includes a stage, a fire pit and an ice rink, as well as ample seating, which was filled as the 30-minute ceremony commenced. The plaza was filled with students, families and children, who could be seen playing with the giant chess set next to the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles stage.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening included two performances from the American Festival Chorus and some words from Mayor Holly Daines. Daines spoke and the choir sang “This Land is Our Land” to start the ceremony. Utah State University’s President Elizabeth Cantwell was in attendance, along with other USU representatives, city council members and military service personnel.

Following the choir performance, Jim Laub, a lifelong Logan resident and one of the plaza’s donors, gave a speech where he mentioned what it was like to grow up in Cache Valley.

“You couldn’t walk up and down Main Street without running into people, your neighbors — it just had a great sense of community,” Laub said.

Laub also recognized long-gone local businesses in his speech, such as Logan Hardware.

“That was always a special place to me,” Laub said.

After Laub’s remarks, the choir proceeded with their second performance, singing the national anthem. Then, Carol Laub cut the ribbon to lots of clapping and cheering from residents.

Live music followed the ceremony for those in the plaza to enjoy. Many of those who attended walked over to the Giant Pumpkin Festival directly after. Just a block away, pumpkins and gourds alike lined the street in a contest to see which pumpkin was the biggest.

Along with the city library, the plaza is a part of Logan’s downtown revitalization efforts. According to Daines, the plaza and the event itself had been in the works since she was first elected six years ago.

“We wanted a celebration,” Daines said. “Let the community know that they can come and enjoy it now.”

Malory Rau is a sophomore studying social media, public relations and marketing. When not skateboarding with friends she is usually thrifting, reading, or seeing the latest movie.

— m.rau@usu.edu

PHOTO BY Cameron Carnes

Carol Laub cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of the Carol and Jim Laub Plaza on Sept. 23.

CAAS Week raises awareness and involvement for agriculture

By Cameron Carnes LIFESTYLES REPORTER

Cache Valley is mostly occupied by farmland, so it only makes sense that Utah State University would have an expansive agriculture program.

USU’s College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences offers 78 degrees, more than 30 certificate programs and over $750,000 in scholarships.

According to their website, the mission of the college is to “enhance the lives of people through education, discovery and outreach.” Each year, the college hosts a weeklong celebration full of events to educate and engage the community.

“The purpose of CAAS Week is to show students what CAAS is all about and what we have to offer. It is also to help students find ways to get involved such as joining clubs,” said Carlie Peterson, the CAAS senator.

The week’s events included a Snacktivity, CAAS Olympics and Day on the Patio. With different yard games, booths, clubs and animals, students were able to get a first-hand insight into each program.

Addison Jones, a speech pathology major, said CAAS week can also benefit people who aren’t in the college.

“I think something that really helps getting CAAS involved with other students is learning the importance of shopping at local grocery stores, farmers markets and the other small sides of agriculture,” Jones said.

Peterson and Sarah Lachenmyer, a senior studying bioveterinary science, said CAAS is for everyone.

“My favorite event is probably the cow milking. I think it’s fun to teach people a little bit about where their milk comes from,” Lachenmyer said.

“I thought the cow milking contest was really cool,” Jones said. “I had never heard of a cow milking contest before, so it was definitely something new to go to. I don’t think lots of universities do big events surrounding agriculture.”

A highlight of CAAS Week, the cow milking contest is also educational. After attending, people learned about the college’s connection to Aggie Ice Cream.

“I didn’t realize how much CAAS impacts our community in general,” Jones said. “I didn’t even know that Aggie Ice Cream was a part of CAAS, but I did after the grand opening in Blue Square this week.”

On Sept. 22, Aggie Ice Cream opened a new location at Blue Square Apartments. Many community members came for free handcrafted ice cream, straight from campus.

“It’s always great to see people come together for great ice cream,” Jones said. “This is where a lot of my lasting friendships were made.”

The end of CAAS Week brought the annual tractor parade.

“I love this because I love tractors and I get to see so many of them at once,” said Porter Smith, a fourth grader in attendance.

Families and community members lined the street, grabbing candy and taking pictures of all the tractors.

“A big thing CAAS is pushing this year is ‘This is my classroom,” Peterson said. “Meaning that we are very hands on, have lots of options of what to study, and we learn by doing.”

PHOTOS BY Wyatt Merchant Tractors parade down Aggie Boulevard for CAAS Week on Sept. 22.

Cameron Carnes is a journalism and English major. She’s most known for her love for Taylor Swift, Percy Jackson and the beach!

GeoGuessr game drops students around the world

By Asher Schroader LIFESTYLES REPORTER

Tens of thousands of kilometers over our heads, satellites orbit the Earth at breakneck speeds. They carry with them data from across the globe, like the angle of a test missile, the velocity of plate tectonics or your DoorDash driver’s location.

When most people think of GPS, they may think of its most common use, navigation. A good example of this would be calculating the quickest route to a grocery store.

But for people involved with GIS, there’s a whole other world of geospatial data to be explored.

Bethany Haskell, a senior majoring in conservation and restoration ecology, said GIS stands for geographic information systems.

“I explain it as digital mapmaking,” Haskell said. “You use software to answer questions that are geographical, like if you want to figure out the where of things.”

One of the more unique applications for GIS is an online game called GeoGuessr. In the game, players are dropped in a random part of the world via Google Street View. They have a limited amount of time to search their surroundings for information to find out where they are.

Once a player is confident in their guess, or time is running out, they select where they think they’ve landed on a mini map. Points are awarded based on the proximity to the actual location, and then the next round begins with a new location.

USU’s very own GIS club, TERRA, held a GeoGuessr event in the Life Sciences Building on Sept. 19. The competition began with students eagerly scanning the streetview for road signs, advertisements, landmarks and anything else that could be used to identify the slice of Earth they were in.

When a player won a game, they were allowed to choose a prize from a large cardboard box. Though it was full of simple objects like TERRA mugs or stickers, that did little to quell the excitement.

After the final round had ended, club members began discussing their plans for upcoming TERRA events. Being involved with GIS, the club has the privilege to engage with various forms of technology, both software and hardware.

Justin Berrett, a senior majoring in geography and the club’s vice president, enthused about an upcoming project involving drones.

“One activity that I’m excited about is drone mapping. My minor is in drones, so I’m going to show everyone how to map out an area,” Berrett said. “The drone will fly in an automated grid pattern and take pictures, and then we can stitch all of those together to create one single image.”

Other planned events include study nights, more trivia events and an overarching project to update USU’s online campus map, highlighting user-friendly design.

The club also hosts lectures from professionals who use GIS in their careers, such as Molly Cannon of USU’s archeology program. She discussed outreach and the impact that satellite technology has had on her research over the years.

In a similar vein, many club members are students of the College of Natural Resources.

Paige Sargeant, club president, is a junior studying management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. She mentioned how GIS has helped her through her time at Utah State.

“It’s a very useful skill. It allows you to tackle research questions in ways that you would never have considered,” Sargeant said. “It’s also a very useful tool in the workforce. A lot of different companies are starting to tap into GIS technologies and how they can help run their businesses.”

Overall, club members thought the night was a resounding success with plenty of laughter and healthy competition. The club hosts casual events such as this often, and anyone is free to join.

“The club is open to most people on Tuesdays,” Haskell said. “For anyone who’s interested in joining, the advice that I would give is to just come in. If you really like it, you can consider adding it as a minor, like I did.”

Students interested in joining the club can find them in room 225A of the Life Sciences Building on Tuesday evenings, or on Instagram at @terrageospatial.

Asher Schroader is a first-year exploratory student at USU. He is passionate about writing, art and graphic design, and making music. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing Cities: Skylines and spending the weekends with his boyfriend.

- a02415522@usu.edu

Emily Calhoun’s show Panmixia has been going for two years. Panmixia combines her love of music and science with genres and stories from all over the world. Listen on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. to catch her show.

Tenderness Parquet Courts

Lazy Bones WITCH

Veneno - En Vivo

Zoe

I Need You Need Me Fanny

Came out of a Lady Rubblebucket

GAS team sends piece of Logan to space

ing experience and a chance to explore what scientists at NASA do everyday.

These satellites are no simple feat, and they are often long-term projects.

“Our last satellite took 10 years to develop,” Day said. “We’re hoping to cut that in half. Currently we’re on schedule to launch in late 2025 and then deploy from the International Space Station in 2026.”

The last satellite was the Get Away Special Passive Attitude Control Satellite, otherwise known as GASPACS, which was deployed on Jan. 26 of last year and ran a 117 day mission.

GASPACS was extremely successful and was recognized as the world’s first CubeSat built entirely by undergraduates.

CJ Wayland is a senior studying mechanical engineering and is currently the team lead for missions operations at GAS.

“I’m mostly in charge of our ground systems, licensing and operations once GASRATS is in space,” Wayland said. “Right now, I’m maintaining the ground station that we currently have on campus.”

It takes a variety of people of different talents to pull a satellite together and ensure its safe passage into space. Students of GAS take pride in having all their hard work make it to the stars.

By Lacey Cintron LIFESTYLES REPORTER

The Get Away Special Satellite Team is an entirely student-run club producing satellites that are launched into space. GAS is currently ramping up for another year of work on the next big mission: the Get Away Special Radio and Antenna Transparency Satellite, or GASRATS.

Students with GAS spend each year designing, constructing and testing a CubeSat, a miniature satellite often launched alongside the much bigger satellites that NASA and other space programs produce.

Members of GAS are split into seven different teams, each with a specialized focus to ensure the success of the satellite both on the ground and in space.

Third year mechanical engineering student Tyler Day is the lead payload engineer for the payloads team, which works exclusively on the transparent patch antenna and the camera deployment system for the satellite.

“A payload is just the thing you want to test out, or is the kind of data and science you want to do,” Day said. “What I do is a lot of research on the antenna its manufacturing process, its properties and just overseeing all the things related to the antenna and the camera deployment system.”

The antenna itself is an integral part of the satellite and its function as a vessel for research.

“The antenna transmits things from the satellite such as data, images or any other sorts of data that we have on the satellite back to the ground,” Day said. “You’re constantly trying to communicate with the satellite to know where it’s at, what its state is and what it’s doing.”

Once these satellites are sent into space, they collect vast amounts of data critical to aerospace research they provide students with hands-on engineer-

“I love knowing that what I work on and what the rest of the team works on is going to be in space,” Day said. “Generally, for the aerospace industry, you’re working on this kind of stuff in grad school or during your Ph.D. But here as an undergrad, you get the opportunity of doing that real world space engineering.”

GAS found its roots in 1976 when NASA first began accepting small experiments from universities aboard the Space Shuttle. USU saw its first payload launched into space in 1982 and has been developing new projects with new research goals ever since.

“I really like that we’re a part of history,” Wayland said. “GAS team has been around for a while, so being a part of something that’s been involved with the space shuttle program and space in general is really cool.”

The GAS team welcomes students of all majors and backgrounds each year to get a taste of aerospace engineering.

PHOTOS BY Claire Ott

Tyler Day explains the components of the transparent patch antenna at a Get Away Special Satellite workshop held on Thursday, Sept. 21.

plastic film

space antenna

Lacey Cintron is majoring in Psychology. She loves learning about the human mind, sharing stories and naps.

Operation Smile Club raising funds for global charity

By Ella Stott LIFESTYLES REPORTER

Operation Smile is a global charity dedicated to providing reconstructive surgery to children with cleft lip and cleft palate. These surgeries can completely change a child’s life by helping them to better breathe, eat, speak and interact with others.

A child with a cleft condition is born every three minutes due to a number of factors, including genetics and family history. However, some of the causes are still unknown.

Operation Smile, alongside the University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, started the International Family Study to learn more about cleft conditions and hopefully find a way to prevent future cases.

In the meantime, the charity has been successful in its goal of providing free life-changing surgery. Operation Smile has funded more than 200,000 surgeries for people in over 60 countries.

A huge reason Operation Smile is able to do this is because of donors and suborganizations around the world raise money for the cause. Utah State is a part of this through its Operation Smile Club.

Nate Nelson, who is finishing up his last classes at USU, was the president of the club for the 2022 school year. The year before marked the revival of the club on campus.

“The club has been at Utah State off and on over the past couple of decades,” Nelson wrote in a response. He and some other members were able to get it started again. “We created several successful service projects and fundraisers,” Nelson wrote.

According to Nelson, the impact the club is having on the world is very powerful.

“Our club’s mission directly affects the lives of kids around the world,” he wrote. “Imagine being a student at school and not having the ability to effectively convey your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.”

Markelle Luddington is a senior studying communication disorders and deaf education. She took on the role of president this year after being Nelson’s vice president last year, and she is planning the first club initiative of the year.

“We are having a fundraiser with Chick fil A, which we’ll be advertising in the TSC,” Luddington said. “It should be in the next couple of weeks.”

For this fundraiser, students can pick up a flier in the TSC and take it to Chick-fil-A. From there, they can order

a meal with their flier, and 15% of the proceeds will go to Operation Smile.

According to Luddington, the club is very excited about this fundraiser.

“Last year we were able to raise funds for many surgeries,” Luddington said. “But we’re hoping to raise more money this year.”

Historically, students at USU have taken an essential role in the club’s success.

“I am happy to report that when we have had our fundraisers on campus, the students here were very generous and willing to help,” Nelson wrote.

For students interested in helping out the Operation Smile cause, there are multiple ways to get involved. Participating in the fundraisers, donating online and going to the weekly club activities, set to start later in the year, are options open to all students.

“I would recommend any student of any major to come and participate,” Nelson wrote.

For both Luddington and Nelson, being a part of the club has been a valuable experience for both personal and professional reasons.

Luddington recognized the value the club has for leadership opportunities.

“It also is a really good service opportunity if you want to get involved with a really good cause,” Luddington said.

“Of course it does look good on a resume and for graduate school applications,” Nelson wrote. “But the biggest benefit is the feeling of satisfaction that comes by knowing you are serving others.”

For more information on the club, visit their Instagram page @usu_operation_smile, or the website at operationsmile.org.

PHOTO BY Jack Burton

Anna Merrill and Ellie Hiatt pose for a photo in their dorm on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Ella Stott is a freshman studying English and journalism because she hates money. When she’s not writing, she’s watching sitcoms, eating Greek yogurt and admiring Nebraska corn.

HIGH Fitness makes working out fun

By Madison Weber SPORTS EDITOR

HIGH Fitness has transformed group classes into fun, energetic, full-body workouts for all to enjoy. On Friday, Sept. 22, Utah State University Campus Recreation hosted a class at Legacy Fields in an attempt to hold their largest group yet.

“The start of the year is a great time to engage students and help get people engaged and connected,” said Katie Burns, director of Campus Rec. “We thought this could be a fun way to engage the campus community and get folks to rally around one specific challenge – creating the largest HIGH Fit class in Utah.”

Event attendance reached 100 participants — it wasn’t the biggest class in Utah, but it was the most ever for a Campus Rec class.

HIGH started in 2015, co-founded by friends Amber Zenith and Emily Nelson. Their classes, which started in a community center, turned into a fitness movement sparking interest across the globe. The current record is held by Joe Wicks, who hosted an event in London with 3,804 people.

Campus Rec turned its focus to the largest class they have held at Utah State and were thrilled at the result.

“HIGH fit is a unique fitness format that is very large in Utah and is really just starting to spread to the rest of the country. We wanted to show how much fun and how challenging of a workout it can legitimately be,” Burns said. “We also have amazing HIGH Fitness instructors, and we wanted to give them a chance to shine.”

Alexis Gordon, a HIGH instructor, said it’s about more than a workout. She loves teaching because it includes those who don’t normally enjoy high-intensity workouts. “My favorite part is that high fitness has always been an inclusive workout. It’s more targeting your emotional health than your physical health,” Gordon said. “We’re not here trying to make you a size two. We’re not here trying to make you lose your tummy. You’re just here to have fun and be a part of a community. Get your endorphins up and just make you feel incredible about yourself.”

Gordon has worked as an instructor for three years and

has always wanted to hold an event like this. She said it’s been two years in the making.

“We’ve been planning to do an event on the field since I’ve been here, which is so incredible to see through,” Gordon said. “It just brings an awareness to the format. It’s a lot easier to do things like this when you’re in big groups. You can invite your friends, invite your mom and invite your boyfriend. This gets everyone together in like a lower-stress kind of way.”

Gordon said there has been a shift in the fitness industry, changing the perception of what healthy looks like today compared to when she was younger. She wants more people to enjoy being healthy and feeling good after a workout.

“A lot of people still don’t know about it, don’t know you can have this much fun working out,” she said. “This event just kind of gets the word out and makes it fun.”

Campus Rec hoped to introduce HIGH to new students and the community. In addition to their group fitness classes held in the ARC, they frequently offer fitness opportunities such as challenges, group trips and community events.

“We are always looking for creative ways to engage students and get more students involved in Campus Recreation,” Burns said. “This was a unique opportunity to engage a wider audience. We were also hoping to include the greater community.”

Ally Blair is a student at USU who has participated in HIGH classes before. She was excited about the event and even brought friends with her to try it out.

“I feel like everyone is just so happy. It’s so energetic and you just feel good, and everyone comes together and it’s just a good workout,” Blair said.

She and her friends hope for more events like this where they can spend time with the USU community and exercise at the same time.

“The energy that HIGH brings is something I enjoy coming out to, and just bringing the community of students together to bring the energy is fun and exciting,” Blair said.

Tayler Davis, the coordinator of fitness and wellness at Campus Rec, helped plan the event.

“All of our events are meant to have fun. We’re well-

ness, we’re fitness, and we want people to express themselves differently,” Davis said. “We wanted to try to get a big class too. Half of these people aren’t even people who have group memberships and come to classes regularly. It brings a different crowd of people here.” She appreciates the inclusivity HIGH provides and believes everyone should have fun in their journey to finding healthy lifestyles.

“Fitness is fun, and everybody should find the way they want to do it. You don’t care about what you look like as long as you’re having fun doing it,” Davis said.

This event may not have broken any records, but Campus Rec said they achieved their goal of creating a fun, healthy environment.

“We are super happy with the event and how it turned out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the event again in the future now that we worked out some of the kinks,” Burns said. “We know Utah State can hold the largest HIGH fit class in Utah.”

Madison Weber is studying journalism and international studies. She hopes to pursue a career in diplomacy or public relations.

—madison.weber@usu.edu

PHOTOS BY Jack Burton

Above: Campus Recreation hosts its most attended HIGH fitness class on Friday, Sept. 22. Top right: USU students participate in the HIGH Fitness class on Friday, Sept. 22.

Campus Rec kicks off fall intramurals

By Hayden Gardner SPORTS REPORTER

Intramural sports are underway on campus at Utah State University, and this year, participants have a lot to look forward to.

Current fall intramurals include flag football, soccer and sand volleyball, with three-on-three basketball, six-on-six volleyball and futsal later in the semester.

Last year’s fall season consisted of a 4-week regular season, with every team being slotted into the playoffs. This year’s season will see five weeks of regular season, with only teams with a record of .500 or better making the playoffs.

Kayla Irlbeck, graduate assistant of competitive sports, said her favorite fall sport is flag football.

“Fall is football season, no one can argue that,” Irlbeck wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman. “Flag football is a great way for students to engage in men, women, co-rec or unified leagues.”

Irlbeck is also head of Unified Sports within Campus Recreation. Unified Sports at Utah State is a collaborative effort between Campus Rec and Special Olympics. In unified leagues, teams consist of an equal number of Special Olympic athletes and partners.

“Unified is a great opportunity for Special Olympics athletes and partners to engage in a fun and competitive atmosphere, and to participate in intramurals for free,” Irlbeck wrote. “We play every week at 6:15 PM on the Aggie Legacy Fields and you are welcome to just show up.”

Flag football is the most popular intramural sport on campus. In previous years, intramural flag football has been divided into men’s and co-rec leagues in addition to Unified, with the men’s side being divided into two subdivisions, men’s A and men’s B.

This year, Campus Rec decided to add a women’s league, something that has garnered interest in the past but never had enough traction to form a league. The two men’s leagues have

also been combined into one single league, but co-rec has not been altered.

All intramural sports are played by an official set of rules defined by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). The men’s and women’s leagues are played by the same set of rules for standard seven-on-seven flag football.

Co-rec features a set of more interesting rules. It is played eight-on-eight, with each team consisting of four men and four women. A team may play down with four women and three men or vice versa, but may not play with five participants of one gender and three of the other.

To ensure inclusivity, co-rec’s unique rules go even further. Male participants can not rush past the line of scrimmage in co-rec games, they must pass the ball or else hand it to a female participant. If a play is run that only consists of male participants, the next play is considered “closed”. In order to “open” the play, a play must be run in which a female participant gains yardage.

Intramural soccer also consists of a men’s, women’s and co-rec league, though the rules are simpler than those of flag football.

Sand volleyball is played in a four-on-four format with women, co-rec and open divisions.

“As a player, I love playing sand volleyball,” wrote Bailey Adams, assistant director of intramurals and youth sports. “We didn’t have sand volleyball as an intramural sport where I went to school so getting to experience it here at USU has been fun.”

For those who seek a high level of competition, Adams assures participants that intramurals on campus will fill those needs.

“Intramural sports can get pretty competitive here at USU. Depending on the sport or league, there are some pretty high-level players participating in our leagues,” Adams wrote. “I would say basketball is our most competitive sport. The popularity of our men’s and women’s NCAA teams and the high level of high school basketball that’s played throughout the state tends to make our basketball leagues the most competitive.”

For those lucky enough to make the championship game, Campus Rec takes those games to the next level.

“We are very lucky to get to play championship games for flag football in Maverik Stadium and basketball championships in the Spectrum,” Irlbeck wrote. “All students are welcome to come support and watch these games and championship game schedules are posted on our Instagram @usucampusrec.”

Also new this year is the use of the FusionPlay app. In previous seasons, participants have had to

log into Rec Portal for updates on their next contest, standings and roster management. With FusionPlay, all the information is in one place, something Irlbeck believes will improve the experience for students.

“The Fusion Play app allows teams to better communicate with both the Campus Rec staff and with their teams,” Irlbeck wrote. “There are features to RSVP to the games, view all game times in one spot and view divisional standings.”

Adams said getting involved in intramurals will benefit other aspects of student’s lives as well.

“Students’ physical health and wellness, emotional wellness, academic learning outcomes and social learning outcomes all greatly benefit from participation in intramural sports,” Adams wrote. “Students tend to enjoy their experience, improve competence in the activity they participate in and enhance their physical health and fitness levels. Intramurals are a low-stress, low-commitment way to stay physically active and make social connections.”

To get involved in intramurals, sign up at recportal.usu.edu or at the front desk in the ARC. Team registration for the current season has closed, but students can download the Fusion Play app to join an existing team or receive information about registration for the upcoming season.

Hayden Gardner is a civil engineering student from Kennewick, WA. He loves boats, shoes, and Seattle Mariners baseball.

—hayden.gardner@usu.edu

PHOTOS BY Phil Weber

Utah State students play intramural flag football at the Legacy Fields on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

A Utah State student serves the ball at a co-ed intramural volleyball game at the ARC sand volleyball courts on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Basketball holds first practice of Sprinkle era

By Hayden Gardner SPORTS REPORTER

The Utah State men’s basketball team kicked off their 2023-24 campaign on Monday, holding their first official practice inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

Monday’s practice featured many new faces as the Aggies are returning just three players from last year’s roster — sophomore guard Landon Brenchley, sophomore center Isaac Johnson and redshirt freshman Mason Falslev.

Last year’s squad went 13-5 in Mountain West Conference play and 26-9 overall. They finished second in the conference behind national runner-up San Diego State and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. This year’s team has 13 newcomers, with three freshmen and 10 incoming transfers. Transfers include graduate senior guard Darius Brown II and junior wing Great Osobor from Montana State, graduate wing Max Agbonkpolo from Wyoming, senior guard Ian Martinez from Maryland, junior guard Josh Uduje from Coastal Carolina, junior forward Jackson Grant from Washington, junior forward Kalifa Sakho from South Plains College, sophomore guard Javon Jackson from Southern Nazarene and sophomore forward Nigel Burris from Idaho. Freshmen include forward Karson Templin, guard Garrison Phelps, guard Jaxon Smith and wing Dallin Grant. Taking the reins this year for his first campaign in Logan is head coach Danny Sprinkle. Hired in April to succeed Ryan Odom, Sprinkle will look to build on his previous coaching success.

Sprinkle spent four years as head coach at his alma

mater, Montana State University. He posted an 81-43 (.681) record in four years as head coach of the Bobcats, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.

For Aggie fans who are accustomed to the offensive-minded, 3-point-heavy style of play instituted by Odom, Sprinkle’s team may look different.

Last year’s team was extremely efficient offensively, finishing top 10 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage and assists, as well as top 25 in three-pointers made and overall field goal percentage.

“It’s like a 180 flip. Last year, we didn’t really focus on defense a whole lot, [we were] more focused on offense,” Falslev said. “This year from the start, we’ve been working on our defense, getting all the right gaps and all the right spots. So it’s been totally different, but it’s been super good.”

Last year’s Montana State team, with Sprinkle at the head, featured the best defense in the Big Sky Conference. They allowed just 66.9 points and 23.3 field goals made per game, both good for best in the Big Sky.

“We have to defend to have a chance to win this year,” said Sprinkle. “We don’t have [Ashworth] and Shulga and Bairstow and those guys running around scoring, you know, in a tremendous offensive team. So in order for us to win, that’s going to have to be our staple this year.”

The Aggies will play an exhibition against Montana State University Billings at home on Nov. 3 before officially tipping off their season against South Dakota on Nov. 6 in the Spectrum.

-hayden.gardner@usu.edu

Thursday Oct. 5

Women’s soccer at new Mexico AWAY

Women’s volleyball vs. Nevada HOME

Friday Oct. 6

Cross Country vs. Steve T. Reeder Memorial Invite HOME

Men’s tennis at Idaho State Invite AWAY

Men’s Lacrosse Alumni Game HOME

Baseball Aggie Invitational HOME

Saturday Oct. 7

Women’s volleyball vs. Fresno State HOME

Men’s tennis at Idaho State Invite AWAY

Football vs. Colorado State HOME

Baseball Aggie Invitational HOME

Sunday Oct. 8

Women’s soccer at San Diego State AWAY

Men’s tennis at Idaho State Invite AWAY

Baseball Aggie Invitational HOME

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Coach Danny Sprinkle leads the team in their first practice of the season on Monday, Sept. 25.

Jack is a sophmore majoring in graphic design. He likes playing soccer, rock climbing, and most importantly listening to music.

— a02387022@usu.edu

L I B R A R Y

L O O K O U T

C A A S W E E K

Wyatt is working on his second degree in Outdoor Product Design and Development. He loves his wife, photography, and any adventure. He takes his camera with him anywhere he goes.

— a02204703@usu.edu

Sudoku puzzles are provided by www.sudokuoftheday.com.

Last week’s solution: