Statesman April 24, 2023

Utah State University, Logan, Utah

A final farewell: USU community says goodbye to Pres. Noelle Cockett with a ‘surprise walk’

By Jenny Carpenter NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Students, staff, faculty and children lined up from Old Main to the TSC Ballroom on April 18 to surprise Utah State University President Noelle Cockett with a goodbye celebration.

Clara Alder, USU student body president, organized the “surprise walk” in an effort to honor Cockett’s accomplishments and dedication to the university before the president leaves.

Even children from the Edith Bowen Laboratory School made an appearance, all cheering on Cockett as she emerged from Old Main. The participants then followed Cockett and Alder to the TSC ballroom.

“She deserves to be recognized in some way, shape or form, and I think that should be coming from students, because she’s dedicated her whole life to students, and this is a great opportunity for us to show her that we appreciate her,” Alder said.

Before Cockett came outside, USU students and faculty noted their thoughts on the event and Cockett’s accomplishments.

Madelyn Peel, a sophomore studying biochemistry, said, “I love that we can get so many people together on such short notice. I think that’s cool.”

Laura Parrish, an academic adviser for the special education department, said Cockett’s tenacity “radiates.”

“I think even the fact that she was the first female president for the university, that’s a big thing, and

everything she accomplished — we’re really proud of her, and we’re going to miss her. I think it’ll be really hard to fill her shoes. She’s done an amazing job,” Parrish said.

When Cockett walked through Old Main’s doors, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Once in the ballroom, Alder gave Cockett the lifetime achievement award, urging the student body to “carry on President Cockett’s legacy.”

“I’m just incredibly touched, just insanely touched. I mean, I feel like crying, I feel like smiling, I feel like laughing,” Cockett said, a slight tremor in her voice. “It’s really incredible — I feel so much love.”

Abe Rodriguez, USUSA’s executive vice president, noted the influence the president has had on students.

“I love that she puts students first. I’ve seen that a lot this past year, working with our colleagues, whenever we would sit on different faculty committees. It’s been really cool to witness firsthand how she would always prioritize the student voice,” Rodriguez said.

USU student Malia Taufu’i agreed with Rodriguez.

“I think she’s done a really good job at making sure that we all know that we belong here, and making sure that we just have a good community here in general,” Taufu’i said.

Several posters hung around the TSC ballroom, each commemorating Cockett’s unique accomplishments.

One poster celebrated how Cockett helped USU “obtain state funding and approval for Utah’s only college of veterinary medicine.”

Another showed how during her time as president, USU became “one of 146 research universities to

earn the R1 Carnegie classification for excellence in research.”

Under Cockett’s direction, USU also opened a new Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, hiring Dr. Jane Irungu to act as the division’s vice president.

“She has been a great support for me in terms of starting the new division — a great champion for equity and inclusion, making sure that everybody feels welcome, everybody feels included,” Irungu said. “She has been a really good support. I’m going to miss her.”

After the event, Cockett shook hands, hugged and took pictures with students, faculty and visitors — proving Alder’s point that “Even if someone is a stranger, she takes that time to make them feel special and make them feel seen.”

Alder suggested a way students can further honor Cockett, even after she’s stepped down.

“Be an empathetic and kind leader who never overlooks time to connect with someone and really help them feel like they belong, and that they are special,” Alder said. “We can most definitely take the time to get to know a stranger.”

Jenny Carpenter is a junior studying journalism, Chinese and English. In her spare time, Jenny loves writing novels, reading novels and watching Netflix.

— Jenny.Carpenter@usu.edu

PHOTOS BY Claire Ott

President Cockett reaches out to students during the “Thank You Walk” on Tuesday, April 18. Students surprised Cockett by lining up from Old Main to the TSC Ballroom to cheer her on and thank her for time as president.

New changes coming for the SNAC office

By Andie Allen NEWS STAFF REPORTER

By July 1, the oversight of the Student Nutrition Access Center, or SNAC, will officially transfer from Student Affairs and the Center for Community Engagement to the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, according to Heidi Wengreen, department head of nutrition, dietetics and food sciences.

“Student Affairs and the Center for Community Engagement began out of a trailer and have worked tirelessly to build SNAC up to what it is today,” said Casey Coombs, the newly-appointed faculty director for SNAC.

Coombs and the college will continue to partner with the center.

According to Wengreen, the college had already worked with SNAC previously. The department is invested in SNAC and has common goals, so the changes will allow faculty with food expertise to be better connected.

These professors can provide students and food that could help support the mission of SNAC, according to Wengreen.

“It felt like a natural transition and a good home for the SNAC pantry because we have a lot of different resources,” Coombs said. “We are hoping it will increase collaboration between all of our experts in the college and maybe even result in new products being available and distributed to students through SNAC.”

Another goal is to increase the opportunities for students within the nutrition department to become involved with SNAC.

“We have a lot of students who can not

only provide a lot of resources for SNAC, but SNAC will also offer an infrastructure for students to have meaningful experiential learning,” Coombs said.

These students will come from within the dietetics programs and the master’s program in public health and nutrition.

Students interested in other volunteer and service opportunities, including AmeriCorps and work-study positions, can contact Coombs.

Despite the transitioning period, Wengreen hopes there will be no visual changes to SNAC.

“We really hope that students don’t see any change, actually. SNAC will continue to be offered at the physical space it has been located,” she said. “We anticipate serving students in the same way that students have been served in the past and hopefully expanding that in the future.”

The SNAC pantry provided free food and supplies to more than 1,950 individuals who visited in 2022.

Its mission is to reduce food insecurity, educate students about basic needs and reduce food waste by recovering food.

More than 38% of higher education students in Utah are food insecure.

One of the first things to go for students who are balancing financial needs is either enough food or quality food.

Food insecurity among college students is associated with worse academic performance, increased risk of leaving higher education, poorer self-rated general health, decreased social engagement and an increase in mental health concerns, according to Coombs.

“Aiding food security is one of the most fundamental services we can provide,” Coombs said.

Both Coombs and Wengreen vocalized the importance of donations for the SNAC pantry. For more information on how to offer support, visit usu.edu/advancement/ give/caas/snac.

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

PHOTO BY Bailey Rigby USU junior and volunteer Lily Edwards pours almonds into a plastic bag in the SNAC office on Thursday, April 20.

Did USU Police handle active shooter hoax call correctly? Library employee says no

By Jacee Caldwell NEWS EDITOR

Cache County dispatch received a call on their non-emergency line around 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, April 9 from an out-of-state number claiming there was an active shooter at the Merrill-Cazier Library at Utah State University.

USU police say three officers responded to the call and quickly determined the call was a hoax upon arrival.

“They were there within just minutes,” said Captain Kent Harris, USU interim police chief. “They made contact with some folks in the library and were able to immediately determine that really nothing suspicious was going on in the library. They did clear the library and made sure every floor was checked.”

A USU press release following the threat stated, “USU Police takes this hoax extremely seriously and is following up in collaboration with the FBI.”

One employee, who prefers to remain anonymous, was working at the library at the time of the hoax call and when the officers came in. She disagreed that they took it seriously.

“This is something they have obviously been trained on and I just do not feel like the actions they took reflected that,” she said. “If they had been wrong, people would be dead.”

One of her concerns was the lack of communication from USU Police to students. She believes a Code Blue alert should’ve been sent out to tell students there could be a potential shooter.

“Their first thing should have been to send a Code Blue about it being a possible shooter,” she said. “If they thought it was a possibility, they should have sent that out, because then us as employees could have evacuated to the back.”

Michael Kuehn, executive director of USU Public Safety, said the alert wouldn’t have made a difference and would have been sent out after the fact because of how fast officers responded.

“We’re not shy about putting out an alert,” Kuehn said. “Our dispatcher was sitting there when the call came in, ready to go. She had the protocols up, but we found out it wasn’t a real thing.”

The day before the hoax call at USU, Southern Utah University received a similar call claiming there was an active shooter on their campus, which also proved to be false.

The St. George Spectrum & Daily News reported SUU was locked down for several hours as officers from multiple jurisdictions searched the campus, and locked down and evacuated buildings.

The article stated the Cedar City Police Department sent out an “all clear alert” around 1 a.m. the next day.

Kuehn said each case is different and USU shouldn’t be compared to SUU’s scenario. He said he stands by the

USU officers’ actions.

“They’re all different, these things are very fluid,” he said. “There’s no A, B, C, D, or E. We responded pretty darn fast. We take it seriously every time.”

The library employee said she also has concerns at how the three officers handled the situation when they got to the library.

She said she was asked if she had heard any gunshots from an officer when he first came in, and when she asked what was going on, the officers gave her little information, leaving her scared and confused.

“I feel like after their behavior, I feel like they’re not something I can count on in that situation,” she said.

The employee also said the officers chose not to lockdown the library, even when they first arrived.

Kuehn said they followed all of the proper protocols and said their objective was to eliminate unnecessary fear.

“When these people call, they want to instill panic, they want to instill terror,” Kuehn said. “If we can keep it to whatever level seems appropriate, I think that we’re doing the right thing.”

Another concern was that the university was attempting to hide the incident.

Three days after the shooting hoax, the library employee received an email from one of her bosses at the library that discouraged all employees who were there from talking to the press and instead, suggested referring them to Amanda DeRito, USU associate vice president for strategic communications.

“I understand that their protocol is to reach out to her to ask what they should say, but not with a situation like this,” the employee said. “I feel like I’ve been told to shut up because they see what was done wrong and don’t

want us to discuss it.”

DeRito said the reason wasn’t to keep anything secret, but rather was to ensure consistent information was presented to everyone.

“We wanted to ensure those who needed more information were able to receive it, that we provided accurate facts to dispel rumors or misinformation that may arise later,” DeRito wrote in an email to the Statesman. “In general, university staff are asked to clear any media inquiries with their supervisor.”

However, the employee took her concerns to USUSA President Clara Alder and USU student advocate Ethan Conlee, who the employee claims didn’t know about the hoax until she informed them. After learning about the news, Conlee said it concerned him, not necessarily how the officers responded, but after realizing most departments on campus don’t have active shooter protocols or training.

“It seems that the library at a minimum would have that,” Conlee said. “But, the more I’ve talked to other student employees, nobody has it.”

Although all university employees may not receive training directly from their department, Kuehn said the USU Department of Public Safety does offer ways to prepare yourself in that situation.

You can find tips for preparing for an active shooter or schedule a training for a USU department at usu.edu/ dps/training/armed-aggressor-training.

To learn about what to do in response to an active shooter, visit usu.edu/dps/training/run-hide-fight.

Kuehn explained because the hoax call came from out of the state, it crosses state lines and therefore is being investigated on a federal level.

“If there’s anything we can do to help explain some of the things that were done, we’re happy to do that,” Kuehn said. “We encourage people to reach out to us — we realize it was a very scary incident.”

PHOTO BY Heidi Bingham

The Merrill-Cazier Library, located in the middle of campus, features study rooms and the capacity to hold over 3,000 students.

Jacee Caldwell is a senior studying broadcast journalism. Other than writing, Jacee loves Nike, summer baseball games and Whips soda. Jacee doesn’t love when her boyfriend gambles.

Utah State Assistive Technology Program continues to change lives

By Jenny Carpenter NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Shana Christensen grasped her green reacher, a tool with a claw that she uses to grab objects. After maneuvering her elbow into a comfortable position, she smiled. Christensen — just 24 years old — stared at a stack of plastic red cups; she was going to complete a mission with this grabber.

Her manicured nails pressed the buttons on the reacher. When she touched the button on the left, the claw opened, and when she pressed the button on the right, the claw closed. With this electrical tool, she grabbed a red cup from the stack and set it down on a chair.

She grinned broadly, her eyes bright. Until now, she’s only had access to a reacher that required her to clench her fists whenever she wanted to grab an object.

Muscular dystrophy prevented her from clenching her fists, creating a challenge that would render using a reacher almost impossible — until the Utah Assistive Technology Program, or UATP, stepped in.

“I used to pick up (objects) with a hanger, but I wanted something easier,” Christensen said, dictating her thoughts through her iPad’s speaking service.

Dan O’Crowley, a USU graduate student and UATP coordinator, explained the process of changing existing equipment to match others’ needs.

“First step when someone comes in with a creative idea is we say, ‘Does this already exist?’ And so, the first thing we do is we find if it already exists — and like 95% of the time, it does, and that’s fine, that’s great,” O’Crowley said. “If nothing exists, then that’s where we use the rest of the shop to either modify something that does exist, kind of tweak it to make it work for them, or we’re just building from scratch.”

And it’s not just the modified, electronic grabber that

has helped a Logan resident. It’s the dozens of other engineered projects that assist all kinds of disabilities.

Kenner Mecham, a USU student and UATP employee, said, “I’ve worked with everybody from people with deaf blindness to children with autism, so helping people is just kind of what I like to do.”

UATP has created several tools to help individuals through their

show a lot of promise as far as access in the community that goes with being able to reach up high, step over curbs, and step into vehicles,” O’Crowley said in a UATP press release.

O’Crowley noted that while exoskeletons have several benefits, insurance companies may not completely cover them because they’re treated as a secondary device, not a primary device, such as a power wheelchair.

According to O’Crowley, exoskeletons could become the new device that individuals will use as their primary device — with a few modifications.

Currently, O’Crowley is working on using motors to help propel the device forward, which could help the individual walk. He also wants to add seats to the standing device, which will help the person get to a sitting position.

day-to-day lives, with everything from liftware eating utensils, vehicle adaptions and voice-activated electronic assistant programs.

In one project, O’Crowley designed a pill bottle cap that had a small hole in the lid, thus helping a woman with tremors simply shake the bottle to get her pill rather than struggling to open the child-proof safety cap.

Currently, O’Crowley is working on an electrical exoskeleton — a mechanical engineering graduate capstone that won’t just provide learning experiences, but could possibly change the future of mobility.

“Exoskeletons show a lot of promise for dealing with many of the health issues of wheelchairs. They also

In addition to making new equipment, the program has everything from mobile walkers to knee scooters to power wheelchairs, according to Mecham.

And one of the best parts: equipment can be loaned for free, or bought with a reduced price.

“Power wheelchairs are thousands of dollars brand new — we sell them for $250,” Mecham said. The equipment prices are also meant to exist for those without insurance, according to O’Crowley.

“That’s what we’re doing with the whole used equipment area of just trying to create a cheaper alternative, and in some ways, a quick alternative to meet the emergencies of life,” O’Crowley said. -Jenny.Carpenter@usu.edu

PHOTOS BY Elise Gottling

Wheelcahirs are displayed at USU’s UATP Demo Day on Friday, April 14.

USU offers free financial coaching for students

By Savannah Burnard NEWS STAFF REPORTER

The Student Money Management Center provides free one-on-one coaching sessions for students to help them budget and create financial plans.

Their office is located in the Taggart Student Center at Utah State University. Darrell Harris, the director of the center, said students have the opportunity to meet with one of the six financial coaches in person for an hour-long session.

“There’s a broad spectrum of students who need help right now, and there are some students who really just want to plan for the future, and others who are actually getting ahead financially,” Harris said.

Harris said in a session, students will fill out a spreadsheet that breaks down their earnings and expenses throughout the year.

Harris said the spreadsheet is formatted to take out taxes based on the standard deduction, and students can enter their scholarships and student loan information.

“Every time I do this with students, they’re like, ‘Oh, that is so relieving. I know how much money I’ll have 18 months from now, if I stick to this plan.’ So it takes the stress off because we just help students do math over time, and the spreadsheet helps them do that,” Harris said.

USU junior Hyrum Teasdale met with a financial coach at the center in November 2022.

Teasdale said because he saw a breakdown of his monthly expenses, he was able to look at his phone bill and change his plan to a cheaper option.

“The most beneficial thing for me was just finding those areas where I did not need to spend that much money,” he said.

Harris said when it comes to making a budget, students can either look at their spending in the past to see how much they spend, or they can map their expenses going forward.

He said once students have a plan of what they want to budget, it’s important to find a method or system to help them stick to their plan.

One system Harris said he likes to show students is multiple checking accounts.

“You could have all your paychecks coming to your one main checking account, and you use that to pay your monthly and periodic bills,” Harris said. “Then you set up two other checking accounts with an automated monthly transfer to give yourself $200 a month for groceries and automate that, and then give yourself whatever you feel comfortable with for your fun, and automate that.”

By doing this, Harris said students are giving themselves an allowance, and when the money is gone, they should wait until the next month to spend more.

Harris said the center is a part of USU’s financial support group which also includes the financial aid office

and the scholarship office.

“What we’re starting as of the past year or so is that we’re really asking students to do three things each year: complete FAFSA, apply for scholarships, and then meet with a financial coach to help you create a budget and brainstorm ways to reduce spending and increase your income,” Harris said.

Teasdale said when he budgets, it helps him realize he spends money on extra things he doesn’t need to buy.

“I think the whole thing with budgeting and what it really does is it makes you conscious and aware,” Teasdale said.

— Savannah.Burnard@usu.edu

PHOTO BY Paige Johnson

The Student Money Management Center is located just outside of the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office in the Taggart Student Center.

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

Meet the nutrition MythBusters of USU

By Avery Truman LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

Dietetics students Garrett Linton and Janessa Lemon are spreading awareness about nutritional fallacies at Utah State University by hosting workshops at the ARC.

Lemon wanted to focus on nutrition myths in her practicum course presentation because of the widely accepted misinformation she found on social media.

“I feel like there’s a lot of influencers who are just saying like, ‘The most amount of protein that you can eat is best because that just means more protein is more muscle,’” Lemon said. “But that’s not true. It gets recommended from the American guidelines to eat like 25 grams per sitting.”

Lemon said the way people educate themselves about nutrition is important.

“The biggest message is just to make sure that — especially when it comes to nutrition — to be doing your own research and consulting with the professionals,” Lemon said. “Not trusting everything they see online and that they do their own research.”

According to Lemon, the dietetics major is useful to study because it is difficult to find the course material by looking it up.

“There’s so much that would come up as misinformation,” Lemon said. “Whereas from our professors and textbooks, it is all research-based principles.”

Lemon found hot-topic nutrition concerns on social media and researched those topics in peer-reviewed articles to investigate whether or not they were supported.

“I believe every healthcare professional should be a

life coach in some way because you’re helping someone with their life and their health,” Lemon said.

“But I feel like dietetics really embraces a holistic approach, so it really drew me in.”

Garrett Linton is studying to become a dietician to help people have a healthy relationship with food.

“I think a lot of people nowadays are like, almost scared to eat because they’re scared to gain weight,” Linton said in a virtual interview. “Being able to share both my love for food and also help people learn that eating is good for you is something that I was really interested in.”

In their workshops, Lemon and Linton discussed various common nutrition myths that can be harmful when trusted.

“Skipping meals is generally not considered healthy,” Linton said. “It will actually slow down your metabolism.”

Other myth topics included losing weight, carbs and sugar in fruit.

“We also talked about the idea of honey being healthier than sugar,” Linton said. “however, honey is pretty much the exact same thing, and it’s processed in our bodies the exact same.”

According to Linton, there is an important difference between a nutritionist and a dietician.

“Dietetics has a required master’s program, and you have to take an exam to be certified as a dietician,” Linton said. “Whereas you can actually just like, go online and get a quick certification to be called a nutritionist.”

Linton said because of this, people don’t always know who to get the proper health information from.

“I think education is super important. And I think there’s kind of two sides of the same coin because everyone is their own personal expert,” Lemon said. “But they’re not like an expert on nutrition for everyone.”

Lemon is excited to become a specialist in nutrition and be able to help those who are confused by misinformation.

“As a dietician — well one day, when I’m a dietician — to actually be like a nutrition professional, to actually be able to give recommendations and know that evidence-based research,” Lemon said. “I love dietetics because it’s the perfect intersection of motivational interviewing and counseling and being a healthcare professional.”

Information about other nutrition workshops like this one can be found at usu.edu/campusrec/nutrition.

Phil Weber is a junior studying Journalism and Marketing, he is also the Bluelight Media Video Manager. Phil spends most of his time behind a camera, watching documentaries on Netflix, and bumping loud music in his car. Here are some songs you’ll catch Phil listening to.

DESIGN BY Regan Johnson

20 bands set to perform at Whyfest, Logan’s music festival

By Carlysle Price

LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

On May 4 and 5, Whysound will be hosting Logan’s very own local music festival, Whyfest. With 20 bands and multiple stages, there will be something for everyone.

Taking place on Federal Avenue, stages will be found in Whysound, The Annex, Lucky Slice and Barrel & Stave. One local band, The Painted Roses, is a Logan classic. They will be performing on the indie rock stage inside Whysound on May 4 at 8:45 p.m.

Niall Thorley is a bass player and backup vocalist for The Painted Roses, as well as another band called Strawberry Jam. He said this event will be a special one for The Painted Roses as they are starting to settle into new personnel as well as new sounds and songs.

“I think it’s going to be a lot like what you’ve seen from us, six people on the stage and a lot of vocals,” Thorley said. “But the future of the band is definitely the same songs but new direction.”

Thorley said fans can expect more heavy metal and folk influence in the band’s future to highlight strengths between band members and to homogenize a new specific sound.

“I think we’re going to hear the beginnings of that at the Whyfest concert,” Thorley said.

Alex Schneider, guitar player for The Painted Roses and drummer for Cactus Tree, said he is very excited for the

opportunity to play the festival alongside bands that have been around for years and the opportunity to hear some of the newer bands.

He said there is a special sound in Logan, with bands cross-pollinating and inspiring each other’s sounds.

“I think having a local festival that is largely to showcase that sound and the bands participating in that, does offer something special and put it on display,” Schneider said.

Cactus Tree, who has been playing for just over a year, is a folk-pop band and will be performing on the pop stage at The Annex May 5 at 6:15 p.m.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Tori Smith said fans can expect a couple new songs at the festival.

“It’s got some folk flare,” Smith said over the phone. “We whip out a harmonica sometimes, and have some songs that are fun to sing along to and dance to, but also some lyrically-driven songs that are more mellow and very folk inspired.”

She said this festival is a great opportunity for locals to hear underground music and become fans of bands they might not have heard before.

On the punk stage on May 4 at 7:45 p.m., concert goers can expect to see 44GO — a band established in Logan this year.

Guitarist Cole Evans said the audience can expect a lot of volume and fuzz from their performance.

Drummer Ashton McMahon agreed, adding they expect to bring a lot of energy to the festival.

“It’s a good way for local musicians to get more eyes on them,” McMahon said. “There’s a cool music scene here in Logan, so it’s nice they’ll get represented. And it’s a fun way to start the summer.”

Check out @the.whysound on Instagram for tickets and more information on the upcoming festival.

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

— A02311769@usu.edu

DESIGN BY Abigail Fillmore

Utah’s historic snowfall: beneficial or detrimental?

By Avery Truman LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

Utah received 30 inches of snow water equivalent this winter. Last year, Utah received 12 inches. The average is 15.8 inches. As of April 18, Governor Cox declared a state of emergency for the state of Utah due to flooding.

Michael Sanchez is the public information officer for the Utah Division of Water Resources.

“We received 30 inches of snow water equivalent,” Sanchez said. “Snow water equivalent is how much water would be in the snow if it was melted down.”

According to David Tarboton, director of the water research lab at Utah State University, there may be a positive side to the overflow of water.

“It’s going to take the Great Salt Lake out of its crisis,” Tarboton said. “It’s an environmental problem, and economic problem, and I think the lake’s going to go up about six feet.”

Tarboton said while the extra water is not going to solve all the problems, it will last for a few years and make more time to plan for the future.

Sanchez said one positive effect of the snowfall is getting more water into reservoirs, which have been lower than usual.

“Our reservoirs are about 10% lower than we would usually have them, so this is going to be a huge influx of water,” Sanchez said. “A lot of our reservoirs will actually fill, if not spill over.”

According to Sanchez, many water managers have been releasing water from reservoirs in anticipation of the access flow.

“It’s record-breaking,” Sanchez said. “It’s more than has ever been measured in Utah. It’s really surprising — we have never recorded a year like this.”

Tarboton said there are negative effects of the historic snowfall, such as the risk of extreme flooding.

“There’s already been flooding in the Salt Lake area,” Tarboton said. “It remains to be seen what flooding we’ll get in Cache Valley.”

Tarboton said the low-lying areas near rivers are at the most high risk for floods.

“It remains to be seen whether the river will come up enough to cause any infrastructure damage beyond what is sort of normal,” Tarboton said. “As long as the city pays attention to clear all of the debris out of the river, I wouldn’t expect serious flooding, but there could be.”

hitting California and coming through us.”

Tarboton said one of the most beneficial things Utahns can do with the excess water is to let it go down to the Great Salt Lake.

“It’ll get the salinity back to its — close to what’s optimal — for the brine shrimp,” Tarboton said. “The dry salt lakebed that was exposed was a big source of dust for the Salt Lake valley, and that’s an ecology and health concern.”

Tarboton said it’s important for Utahns to learn hydrology and the water cycles.

“Recognizing that we live in a dry state means we always have to be careful about not using too much,” Tarboton said. “If we want to continue to have growth in Utah, which a lot of people seem to want, then we’re going to have to live with the water we’ve got.”

Sanchez said too many warm days in a row without cold ones in between could lead to more flooding.

“A good website to check is slowtheflow.org,” Sanchez said. “You can also check out rebates for water-saving devices, both outdoor and also indoor.”

Slowtheflow.org provides everyday water-saving tips and simple ways to conserve, such as adding mulch to a yard to collect water before it evaporates, and adjusting lawn mowers to let the grass grow a bit longer.

“The past couple of years, Utahns have done a really good job at conserving,” Sanchez said. “We did a sample survey from water managers, and just last year, it was about 9 billion gallons that were saved, so it’s a pretty big deal.”

Tarboton attributed part of the reason for the heightened snowfall to climate change and part to chance.

“The hydrologic cycle is sort of expected to accelerate so you get more extremes,” Tarboton said. “You get wetter wet years, dryer dry years.”

According to Tarboton, the source of the water was also a factor in why there was so much of it.

“The ocean in the Pacific controls a lot of what we get, and just happened to set itself up this year with the beginning of going from a La Niña cycle to an El Niño cycle,” Tarboton said. “The atmospheric rivers were just

PHOTO BY Aspen Marshall

A snow pile melts next the Aggie Terrace parking garage on Wednesday, April 19.

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

Logan Pride ‘Divas of Drag’

By Tyler Bodily LIFESTYLES STAFF REPORTER

Logan Pride is committed to creating a safe environment for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as allies. They host events every week for people to get involved. Their mission is to “build a healthy and thriving LGBTQIA+ community by providing a safe space, education, resources, and outreach.”

Mel Payne is the marketing director of Logan Pride and takes charge of fundraising and events.

“Coming to Utah is a culture shock, and as I was looking around, I was like, ‘Are there trans people here? Are there people in this LGBTQ community?’ So I started volunteering with Pride,” Payne said.

An upcoming event is Divas of Drag, a drag show taking place at Elements Restaurant on April 30. One of the main goals of the event is to raise awareness and show support for members of the LBGTQIA+ community.

Fundraising has an important role as the next few events raise the funds for the annual Logan Pride Festival in September. Funding also contributes to allowing Logan Pride to maintain an open house where members can come to feel safe and included.

Payne said he noticed those who attend the activities, as well as allies that show solidarity, create a safe space that allows those who feel forgotten or shunned to be engaged, to form beneficial relationships, and to receive the support they need as they journey to figure out who and what they want to be.

“Nowadays it’s easy to condemn, fear, or hate what we don’t understand. In addition to fundraising, part of this event is to promote understanding to Cache Valley’s greater community. We are truly grateful for our growing base of amazing LGBTQ+ allies!” Clay Essig, Logan Pride vice president, wrote in an email response.

Recent legislation proposed and passed in various states across America have begun to target drag shows and gender affirming treatments, including Utah’s Senate Bill 16, which was passed in early February. Payne said there has been increased resistance to the upcoming drag show because of these bills.

“I have had two other drag shows in the past month, and we’ve had much larger turnouts because people wanted to support it. In this case, we’ve had a lot of naysayers, and this is the first time I’ve experienced this,” Payne said. “We are getting blown up on social media by people who don’t understand drag, and that we are here to ‘groom’ the kids. And that isn’t the case at all — that isn’t what drag is about.”

Due to the surplus of negative comments online, rumors were spread that members of the Logan community would be protesting the drag event in front of the city council, who met on April 18.

Members of the LGBTQ community as well as leadership from the Elements Restaurant showed up in support of the show.

Yvonne Marcyes, president of Logan Pride, attended the meeting.

“One of the first things the council said was that Elements was a private business, and therefore had their First Amend-

ment right to speech and expression, and if people were there to protest the drag, that the city council couldn’t do anything about it,” Marcyes said. “It was refreshing to see all the people that showed up in support, and no one stood up to protest the event after the council’s comment.”

She said the steps taken to educate the community and grow a network of support for members so far have paid off.

“I think most of the social media opposition was based on a lack of understanding of drag, its centuries old history in the world and Utah, and the purpose of this charitable event sponsored by one of Logan’s finest restaurants,” Essig wrote.

Marcyes said drag is a form of theater, and Payne said the point of drag is complete expression of one’s identity and being true to themselves. Still, many perceive drag to have an inherent sexual focus.

Payne said an argument made in protest of drag is that it opens children up to sexual grooming and sexualization, which is degrading to their mental well-being.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, grooming is “the action of attempting to form a relationship with a child or young person, with the intention of sexually assaulting them or inducing them to commit an illegal act.” Grooming can happen in many ways, but is typically used to gain the trust of a potential victim of abuse through desensitization of sexual topics and sexual touch and/ or an abuser’s attempts to make an action seem more natural.

But Payne said drag shows are a safe place for people to bring their children.

“It is just good fun for people in a safe place,” Payne said. “We have these little kids that came up and drew pictures of the drag queens, and were like ‘I want to be like you when I grow up.’”

Drag awareness creates a safe space for helping kids who identify in a certain way and enables them to find mentors or role models through drag shows. Payne mentioned minor participants were just happy someone was there to represent something they could get involved in.

Logan Pride is open to whoever is interested in creating a network of allies and LGBTQ+ members alike to spread awareness and support within the Logan community. For more information on events and volunteer opportunities, visit loganpride.org

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

The sign for Logan Pride located in Logan.

The mental toll on college athletes

By Madison Weber SPORTS REPORTER

“Istruggled with not being the best. That was really hard for me and trying not to feel embarrassed because every time I thought, ‘That was terrible,’ even if it was a PR,” Tori Bailey said. “I was like, ‘But it's still not good enough.’ Sometimes I’d need somebody to talk me down from a lot of anxiety during competition.”

Bailey is a thrower on Utah State University’s Track and Field team. Like many athletes, she has struggled with the mental challenges of high-level collegiate athletics.

A study from the NCAA in 2021 showed 24% of male and 36% of female athletes felt “so depressed that it was difficult to function.” Athletes often compromise their mental health for fear of losing their positions, playing time or scholarships if they take a break.

“It is a very high-intensity sport. It's probably more intense than I think I've ever experienced nerves-wise,” said Ashley Peterson, a player on the USU women’s rugby club team. “It isn’t easy. We practice a lot in all different kinds of weather conditions. It was definitely a learning curve.”

The study also found that approximately 24% of men and 41% of women athletes felt “mentally exhausted.”

The pressures of college athletics can be overwhelming. Athletes at USU shared how they find balance and relief from the stress.

“I was the bottom of the barrel, and that was really hard for me to accept. It was hard mentally just trying to accept the fact that it's OK to be the lowest of everyone else because I had the most to learn,” Bailey said. “As I finally accepted it, that's when I started to progress through my throwing.”

Peterson said finding balance and taking care of herself has helped her manage the stress. Instead of the sport causing her more anxiety, it became a stress reliever.

“Learning my physical limits and how best to prioritize rest and fueling my body has been super important. Rugby has become one of the best stress relievers, being able to have a special time set apart every week,” she said.

USU Men’s Golf head coach Dean Johansen spoke of the uniqueness of golf and how the individualized performance can be hard on players if they don’t train their minds properly.

“There's an old saying that golf is 97% mental, and the other 3% is mental,” he said. “There's tons of time to think, and the longer you think about something, whether it's hitting a golf ball or a relationship or driving a car — the more you think about it, the more negative thoughts come into your head.”

Johansen said the coaches teach players specific skills to help them stay focused while they’re hitting the ball and be completely unfocused when they’re not.

“We have to figure out how to distract these kids or let them distract themselves. I go hit a shot and focus for 45 seconds, and then I need to think about something besides golf,” he said. “While we’re walking to the next shot, we'll talk about school, girls or cars. We're talking about anything but golf until we get to the ball, and then we start a game plan. ‘What kind of shot do we want to

hit?’ We focus on that, and then we move on.”

Golf tournaments can take much longer than other sports and are potentially exhausting by the last hole. Johansen said he works with players to develop routines before each swing, and then he helps them rest their minds before stepping up for another shot. Otherwise, he says, they won’t last mentally until the end of the tournament.

“The big difference between the good and the great players is their ability to deal with bad shots and how they get over those shots,” said Josh Pehrson, a junior on the team. “We're all going to hit bad shots in golf — it’s just the nature of the game. But are you going to let that one shot from four holes ago affect your shot now?”

Pehrson has experienced mental struggles throughout his golf career and in response, he has created a list of encouraging messages to get him through it. He keeps the list on his phone’s lock screen and frequently refers back to it throughout tournaments.

Phrases in the list include “Love yourself,” “Gratitude and joy,” “Relentless and indomitable,” “Never make excuses,” “Body language,” “The next shot” and “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Number six, “The next shot,” has been especially impactful for Pehrson.

“I think about this in life a lot too. The previous shot has no effect on me unless I want it to have an effect on me,” he said. “They're completely independent events from one another. So how am I going to prepare next mentally and physically for the next shot? I'll read through those to try and help me get back into a good headspace.”

The mental challenges and stresses come in phases for athletes. Naturally, when performance is better, it is eas-

ier to remain positive. For Bailey, some relief came from hearing the personal experience of a former thrower at USU.

“Just this last weekend, Krista (Larson Du Plessis) got inducted into the Hall of Fame at USU. She told us that her mom passed away tragically during her sophomore year. She was going to quit, but Coach Matt convinced her to stay and told her that hammering is the safest place for her to be — to make that the safest place,” Bailey said.

Recently, Bailey said, setting big goals and trying to break school records has put extra pressure on herself –pressure that negatively affects her performance.

“When she was talking, I thought, ‘If she can come back after her mom passing away, I can be stronger than my mental struggles,’” Bailey said. “Making that choice to just do it and to just move past it — these past few days of practice have been exponentially better.”

For help with mental health struggles, USU students can visit usu.edu/aggiewellness/caps.

— madison.jenkins@usu.edu @madisonjenks

Madison Weber is a senior studying journalism and international studies. Her favorite things include good food, travel, dogs, and spending time with family.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY Bailey Rigby

Hall of Fame induction ceremony celebrates women

By Madison Weber SPORTS REPORTER

On Saturday, April 15, seven women were inducted into the Utah State University Athletics Hall of Fame. The celebration of women came in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which created more equal opportunities for women in sports. The inductees included both former student-athletes and administrators. Each woman honored at the event was celebrated by their family, current school administrators, former inductees and current student-athletes at USU.

There are now three teams and 130 individuals in the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame. It was founded in 1993 with 12 initial members. Before this class, there had never been a year of inductees which included only women. This celebration of women proved the opportunities Title IX has provided for women over the past 50 years. As each inductee spoke, they reflected on the importance of the law. They also recognized the work that still needs to be done for women in sports to be seen as equals to men. “Today, we honor the trailblazers who paved the way for women's sports and recognize the extraordinary women who have made Utah State Athletics what it is today,” said Jerry Bovee, USU’s interim director of athletics. “The women being inducted into the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame tonight represent the best of the best.”

The 2023 class includes Tana Call Davis (Gymnastics), Shantel Flanary (Soccer), Krista Larson Du Plessis (Track & Field), Jerrie McGahan (Women's Basketball), Denae Mohlman Pruden (Volleyball), Christine Thomsen (Softball) and Marilyn Weiss (Admin).

“They embody the spirit of Utah State Athletics, and their accomplishments have inspired generations of women, including our current student-athletes, who not only benefit from those that competed in the past but also inspire those young women in our community who dream of the possibilities that are in store for them in the years to come,” Bovee said.

Tana Call Davis - Gymnastics (1987-90)

Tana Call Davis is known as one of the most accomplished gymnasts in school history. By the time she left Utah State, she held 16 school records. She held the single-meet records for best all-around, bars, beam, floor and National Qualifying Score. She competed at the 1989 and 1990 NCAA Championships, where she placed 26th and 31st. She helped the team in regional appearances throughout her career. Call Davis was voted team captain her senior year by her teammates.

Call Davis reflected on her time at USU and shared what life lesson she remembers the most. Hilda Fronske, an associate professor of kinesiology and health science at USU, had required her students to play a game Call Davis very much disliked. The conversation she had with

Fronske has stayed with her.

“The next words that came in my mouth were, ‘I don't like to do things that I'm not good at.’ She looked at me and said, ‘I think you better rethink how you think about life. If you only go through life doing things you think you're good at, it is going to be a long, hard life.’ I have thought about that as I've moved through my life and tried to do things that are hard, things that are not comfortable and things that are outside of what I like to do. And the growth that has happened in my life continues to grow because her words will echo in my head. I had a wonderful opportunity to be here at this university,” Call Davis said.

Shantel Flanary - Soccer (2008-11)

Shantel Flanary was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and is the school record holder with 85 career points, which includes 34 goals and 17 assists. She was named first-team all-WAC three times, second-team all-WAC one time and was the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2008. In 2011, she led the team to win the WAC regular season and tournament championships and the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Flanary ranks first all-time in school history in shots on goal (113), second in career shots (215) and game-winning goals (10), third in career goals (34) and fourth in career assists (17). She is also one of only nine players to record a hat trick in school history.

“As much as I love breaking these records for myself, my ultimate goal was to get to the NCAA,” Flanary said. “A big part of why I wanted to come here was to really make an impact and leave a mark on the program. I felt like I did that. I absolutely love this school.”

Krista Larson Du Plessis - Track & Field (2006-09)

Krista Larson Du Plessis was a two-time all-WAC honoree, a four-time academic all-WAC selection and earned Academic All-American accolades. Larson Du Plessis was the first female hammer thrower at Utah State to earn All-American honors. She currently ranks fourth all-time in school history in the hammer, with a mark of 59.95 meters (196-8), which she set as a senior. Indoors, she ranks fifth all-time in the weight throw, with a heave of 18.09 meters (59-4), set in 2009.

“My reaction when I first got the call was honestly, I thought that they contacted the wrong athlete,” Larson Du Plessis said. “But after I confirmed that it was me, I just felt very honored and those feelings came back of pride in and feeling accomplished for the things that I had done at Utah State.”

During her sophomore year, her mother passed away. The sport then became something more important to her. “It was one of the ways for me to kind of heal through that process. That's how the hammer really became my love. It was there for me at a time when I really needed it,” she said. “I'm grateful for my teammates who pushed me and were always there for me during the times that were the hardest.”

Jerrie McGahan - Women's Basketball (1977-80)

Jerrie McGahan is the program's all-time leading rebounder, with 840 boards, and is the school record holder with 553 field goals over 94 games. She set the school record for career points with 1,317, now the third-best in school history. In her career, she averaged 14.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, the fifth and second-best averages in school history. She ranks fourth all-time in school history in field goal attempts (1,182), eighth alltime in field goal percentage (46.8) and ninth all-time in free throws made (211). She is one of just 13 players in program history to score 30 or more points in a game, and one of 17 players to record at least 15 rebounds in a game. McGahan also competed on the USU Track & Field team.

“There weren't scholarships for women athletes, and funding for the programs was very minimal. I was a student-athlete, competed on the volleyball team and had a 3 a.m. paper route while working as a student assistant to pay my expenses. Somehow we managed, but it wasn't easy,” McGahan said. “There aren't words to express how honored I am to be selected.”

Denae Mohlman Pruden - Volleyball (1997-2000)

Denae Mohlman Pruden was a three-time all-Big West Conference selection for Utah State and is one of just two players in school history to earn first-team all-conference honors three times.

PHOTO BY Paige Johnson

Former director of women’s athletics Marilyn Weiss speaks about her time at Utah State and memories from her coaching years at the USU Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 15.

Mica Rivera: An all-time best USU runner

By Emma Becerra SPORTS REPORTER

At the Stanford Invitational this season, Mica Rivera made history. The graduate student broke the Utah State record for the women’s outdoor 10,000-meter with a time of 32:57.50 to place 17th in the event. That performance ranks third in the Mountain West this season and 17th nationally. Rivera broke the previous Aggie record by more than 50 seconds, but it wasn’t the first time she’s made her mark at USU.

Rivera has been competing for Utah State Track and Field in both indoor and outdoor events as a distance runner while simultaneously running with the USU Cross Country team.

She has been a standout athlete for both teams, winning various awards over the years. For cross-country, she was named All-Region in 2022, Second-Team All-Mountain West in 2021, a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete in 2020 and a Mountain West Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week in October 2019. She has also won Academic All-Mountain West four times for both cross-country and track. In 2019, she was recognized with the Bill E. Robins Award for Female Athlete of the Year, an award given to USU students to recognize their hard work and dedication to their goals.

During her time on the track team, she wrote her name in the Aggie history books seven times, including her program-best 10,000-meter time. Rivera ranks second all-time in the indoor women’s 3,000- and 5,000-meter. For the indoor mile, she set the fifth best time in USU history in 2023. In the outdoor 3,000 and 3,000-meter steeplechase, she placed eighth best for the all-time records. For the outdoor 5,000, she placed fifth for best all-time records.

During Rivera’s time on the track team, she has had a positive influence on her teammates around her. Her determination and dedication to continuous improvement led her to be voted track team captain for the last two years.

“I’ve always looked up to the seniors when I was a freshman, and they taught me everything I know, so I just try to pay that forward,” Rivera said. “I try to be that example and leader as best as I can be. I think it’s a lot about being there for your teammates, bringing some positive energy to practice every day and just always celebrating other people's success.”

Head cross-country and distance coach Artie Gulden said Rivera is a great leader and friend to everyone on the team.

“She’s soft-spoken, but she leads by example,” said coach Gulden. “She’s really determined and willing to put in the work. With her, at times it's more about having to rein her in because sometimes she wants to work too hard.”

Abby Jensen, a senior distance runner on the track team, has looked up to Rivera since she arrived on campus. She’s been teammates with Rivera on both the track

and cross-country team. She said Rivera is diligent about doing the little things right and is one of the most hardworking and positive leaders she’s ever been around.

“I can’t remember one time that she wasn’t celebrating her teammates’ success,” Jensen said. “Regardless of how she does, she’s always happy for other people. She just loves running and loves the girls, and you can tell.”

Rivera’s continuous improvement is evident across all

The 10,000-meter record Rivera broke is something she has been working toward all season. During the 2023 indoor season, she competed in a 5,000-meter race at altitude. Running at altitude was not something she was used to, but she was still able to run two seconds off her sea-level personal record, which set the tone for her upcoming outdoor season.

“It gave me a lot of confidence for my next races,” Rivera said. “The weekend confirmed that I had a lot more to give to this team, and the goal was to break the record.”

Gulden said Rivera’s improvement over the years could be credited to the 70 miles she runs weekly, which is the highest on the team. Rivera believes the miles help her be successful but having faith in what she is doing led her to her end goals.

“I think coming in as a freshman, I have just bought into the program that we have here,” Rivera said. “Most of the success I’ve had is just trusting the program and being patient enough to see it through, stay committed, and just have confidence that I would see my times improve.”

As a cross-country runner, Rivera has been consistently successful. She has competed in five different NCAA Mountain Region Championships and contributed points to the team when USU clenched 28th place as a team in the NCAA Championships. In her 2023 campaign, she was one of two individuals to represent USU at the NCAA Championship, where she placed 201st with a 6K time of 21:21.4. She also became the fourth Aggie to compete in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, earning 158th place in the 6K with a time of 21:17.2.

Rivera said she loves that she competed in two different sports, and she learned how to manage her body and mind in order to be successful in both.

As Rivera is at the tail end of her last season as an Aggie, she hopes to finish strong and continue the success she’s had so far this year, but mostly she wants to close out the year with good memories.

“I’ve learned to enjoy the journey more,” Rivera said. “I do have a lot of goals and a lot of things I want to accomplish these last three months, but most of it is I want to have fun and look back on it and know that I gave it my best and had a good time doing it.”

of her events. Her 2019 indoor 3,000 time was 10:19.94; in 2023, her time improved to 9:30.84. In the outdoor 10,000, where Rivera holds the all-time record, she saw huge improvement. In 2021, her time was 35:26.04; in 2023, her time was 32:57.50, which broke the school record.

“Everyone was so happy and pumped for her,” Jensen said. “After the race it was just like nothing had happened. She was just so happy and said that it felt so good.”

STATESMAN FILE PHOTO

Mica Rivera leads the pack at the 2021 Aggie Invitational at Ralph Maughan Track Stadium.

Emma Becerra is a journalism major from California. Her hobbies include swimming, hanging out with friends and boating. She is on the Utah State soccer team.

By Elise Gottling STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

— A02386895@usu.edu

Elise Gottling is a first-year student currently in the exploratory major. Besides photography, she also loves playing guitar, singing and music in general (especially Taylor Swift –– she’s a genius).

or do. Any advice or suggestions for things to do or places to go?

I’m also looking for advice on how I can seize the moment. I don’t want my time in Utah and at USU to be regretful. I would say I’m pretty involved on campus, but I’m looking for more. Loaded and subjective question, but how can I live a fulfilling life?

Thank you, Wondering Aggie

DEAR WONDERING,

It’s hard to provide specific recommendations for something that diverts from the normal, since the normal looks different for everyone. Still, Logan is full of opportunities to try new things. If you’re into the outdoors, or even if you just like going on walks, Logan Canyon has several fun trail options near the mouth, so you wouldn’t have to find a ride far into the canyon. In terms of transportation, take advantage of the free bus provided by CVTD – it will take you all around town and even all the way to Preston if you want to take a longer trip. And despite what the past few months have indicated, summer is approaching quickly, so walking and biking will soon be much more enjoyable.

Downtown Logan has a lot of life, so I would recommend spending some time there. I always love spending an afternoon wandering around The Book Table or an evening watching a classic film at the Utah Theatre. You can check out the Cache Valley Gardeners’ Market, which features local vendors and music, on Saturday mornings at the courthouse from May to October. Other local artists perform at Whysound, The Yellow House, and restaurants like Jack’s Wood-Fired Oven.

visit usu.edu/calendar to find a full list of upcoming events across organizations on campus, including presentations, concerts and service opportunities.

But before you do any of that, you might want to take a moment to catalog what your current days and weeks look like. What are you involved in? If your normal routine is class, homework, errands, TV, sleep, repeat, then now is a great time to switch that up by doing something new. But if you’re involved in a whole bunch of activities, you might want to consider making a more sustained commitment as your “something new.” Everything in our world, from fast food to entertainment to news, is increasingly designed to be brief, and our attention spans have shortened as a consequence. Jumping around looking for something new, whether it’s a new show, a new hobby, or a new outfit, can be fun, but that newness comes at the expense of consistency. There’s value in committing to a particular hobby or endeavor, to really diving into something new rather than just skimming the surface in a futile and cyclical attempt to satisfy an insatiable hunger for novelty. If you really take stock of your life, you might find that you’re favoring breadth over depth – consider what you can commit to more fully in order to rebalance the two.

Read the rest of Dear Aggie at usustatesman.com.

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