The Utah Statesman, March 31, 2015 by USU Libraries

the utah

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 • www.usustatesman.com • (435)-797-1742 • Free single copy

Cash and gown

Kelsie Lott photo

Price of graduation apparel unsettling for some students 4By Melanie Fenstermaker staff writer

When graduating seniors walk up to receive their diplomas on May 1, they will do so decked out in the typical gear. When some students discovered how much they would have to pay for the apparel required to walk, however, they were more reluctant to participate in the traditional ceremony. “I was just pissed off, to be frank,” said Rohan Shah, a student who is graduating this semester with his master’s degree in computer science. “Eighty-three dollars for a piece of cloth and a gown and cap that I am only going to wear once? That’s uncalled for.” The Campus Store advertises its most basic graduation apparel, which includes a cap, gown and tassel, for $49.99. Master’s students must purchase an additional master’s hood for $15 and PhD students must purchase an

additional PhD hood for $25. Though it’s not required, students who want a graduation Stoll – a long cloth that has the university logo and graduation year on it – must pay an additional $20. Other optional items, such as souvenir tassels, frames and class rings present extra expenses for students who decide to purchase them. Shah said it seems necessary to purchase many of these items, else the graduation experience seems “incomplete.” “It’s my graduation ceremony and I want to make it perfect,” Shah said. “What if I give you a cake without icing? What if I say it’s $50 for the cake and $10 for the icing? Would you pay $50 or $60? Obviously $60.” Risa Smith, the clothing and gifts manager of the Campus Store, said the expense is worth paying because graduation is such an important event. “I think that’s the crown jewel that you put on top of your college degree,” Smith said. “I think, you

know, you’re going to spend that $50 for your cap and gown, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. It’s something you’re not going to do again and if you want to make it special, that’s the way to do it.” Shah, however, said encouraging students to spend extra money on the premise that it’s a one-time event is a marketing ploy. “The Campus Store is taking advantage of the emotions tied to people’s graduation ceremonies,” Shah said. “They know that you are going to pay because it is very important in your life. Why not charge double?” Shah said the ideal price for the materials would be at least 50 percent less. He suggested the campus store adopt a rental system that gives students 30-40 percent back when they return the robes. The university used to have a rental system, Smith said, but it was abandoned about 10 years ago when control of graduation apparel was handed from the President’s Office to the Campus Store.

Smith explained that it was too much of a hassle for the President’s Office to clean the robes and replace those that were never returned. “It was a big headache, and I think that’s why they asked us to take over,” she said. It is unlikely that the Campus Store would ever reinstitute the rental system, Smith said, but students can find other ways to reduce the cost of the apparel, such as purchasing or borrowing robes from friends who have already graduated. Finding a correctly-sized robe from one’s group of friends can be difficult, Shah said. He suggested creating a website similar to texts. com that allows students to buy and sell a variety of robe sizes for a more reasonable price among the larger student population. Doug Fiefia, President of the USUSA Executive Council, said via email that the idea is “worth looking into,” but it might be challenging because students who have graduated may have left

Utah and would be unable to give their robes to current students. Because Fiefia is a senior who had to purchase graduation materials for himself this semester, he agreed that “there has to be a better, more cost-effective way to provide these services to our students at USU.” If the apparel proves to be too expensive, students may choose not to walk. Smith said the Campus Store has allowed students to borrow the apparel for pictures if they can’t afford to purchase it for graduation. The graduation apparel at the Campus Store is supplied by Jostens, a company that supplies similar materials for universities and High Schools across the country. Comparatively, most universities in Utah charge similar prices for their graduation packages, according to their respective school websites.

— melmo12@gmail.com

Duryea hired as head coach Campus provides support for students contemplating suicide 4By Mariah Noble editor-in-chief

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a threepart series on suicide. Previous articles discussed statistics and potential causes of suicide and coping with suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Annie Hall photo TIM DURYEA WAS ANNOUNCED as Utah State University’s new head basketball coach on Monday in the Wayne Estes Center.

4By Logan Jones asst. sports editor

Longtime Aggie assistant coach Tim Duryea now holds the keys to Utah State basketball’s future, as his promotion to head coach was made official Monday. “I am looking forward to putting my own footprint on this program,” Duryea said. “I think that is something

that Coach Morrill would encourage. I’ve heard him talk about other assistants that he’s had that have gone on and have done different things and see them play. I think he takes pride in going out and taking what you’ve learned but also doing your own thing and establishing yourself in college basketball.” Duryea has patrolled the

sidelines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum alongside former head coach Stew Morrill for the past 14 seasons, longer than any assistant coach in the program’s 110-year history. After conducting a thorough national search, Utah State Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott

jSee DURYEA, Page 6

A dilemma for people struggling with thoughts of suicide and depression is that “sometimes it feels like you don’t have any place to turn,” said David Bush, director for Counseling and Psychological Services. But Bush said students at Utah State University need not feel that way because of the many people on campus who want to listen. Krystin Deschamps, the student conduct coordinator in the Student Services Office, is one of those people. “The one thing I can say with absolute certainty is that the university cares very, very much and takes its responsibility to help students be successful academically and personally very seriously,” she said. “There is a lot of support, and there is a lot of help, and there are a lot of caring people here who will do whatever they can to make things better.” One resource for support on campus is the CAPS office. Bush said CAPS has taken measures to accommodate the rising trend of students seeking help by increasing the number of priority consultations. “We have somebody that’s on crisis call every day so that students can come in without an appointment and be seen, but those have been filling up at a much faster rate than ever before,” Bush said. Because of this, CAPS has added more of what they call “priority consuls.” “When a student indicates a sense of

being at risk for hurting themselves, then we get them in within 24 hours so they can have someone to talk to and sort out what it is that’s feeling helpless or hopeless at this point, trying to foster a sense of hope,” he said. He also said when people seek help from CAPS, it’s confidential. Murray Cote, who plans to work on a criminal justice degree at USU this summer, said counseling is usually the first thing his friends suggest when they hear he is feeling depressed or suicidal, but he said he’s not the biggest fan of the idea because “no one knows your life better than you.” “I shouldn’t say it’s the worst thing to do. ... You definitely shouldn’t have it be something you try to get over yourself,” he said. “But ... you can share your entire life history with a person — they’re never going to be able to know what you were feeling in that specific stage in time. “ Cote said, for him, loneliness is a driving factor behind suicide. He said it would help those who are depressed feel like they belong if college students are more accepting of one another and judge each other less. Taylor Dunigan, a senior who helped plan a memorial service for a friend and fellow Aggie who committed suicide this year, said being welcome to support and less withdrawn is something that would help those suffering from depression or suicidal tendencies. She said talking to friends and seeking counseling helps. Bush said the most important thing for someone who is worried about a friend contemplating self-harm is to listen and “let them know that you aren’t afraid to talk.” jSee SUICIDE, Page 2

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Walk it out

Campus News

Page 2

USU and American Heart Association promote ‘National Walking Day’

4By Mandy Morgan

different information about what they can do to be healthier,” Jackson said. Jackson said that one of the highest insurance claims made by faculty on campus to Be Well is cardiovascular disease, including cancer, heart attacks and strokes as results of poor cardiovascular health. Walking can help prevent all ailments connected to cardiovascular disease, Jackson said. “There’s been a lot of research showing that sitting is like the new smoking, kind of how dangerous and how bad it is for your health to be sitting constantly,” she said. Even if someone works out in the morning, and then sits all day for work or school, that exercise could mean nothing, because of the person’s inactivity for most of the day, Jackson said. Jackson’s advice on being healthier is to “get out and walk ... enjoy the sunshine and get some steps in. Wear your walking shoes to work.” For Emmy Beck, a freshman majoring in accounting, walking everywhere is

senior writer

In an effort to get more students and community members spending exercise time outside, the American Heart Association is encouraging everyone on April 1, National Walking Day, “to lace up their sneakers and take 30 minutes out of their day to get up and walk,” according to their website. The Be Well program for faculty at Utah State University is encouraging all to participate in National Walking Day. “Wednesday, where it’s National Walking Day, we’re promoting walking,” said Nicole Jackson, an employee wellness assistant at Be Well. “We’re calling it Take a Walk Wednesday.” This week is Work-Site Wellness week put on by Be Well, and each day will have it’s own theme, Jackson said. Be Well helps USU employees employees stay or become more active by offering fitness classes, nutrition counseling, seminars on stress management and depression awareness and anything to help “give

Ryan Costanzo photo

something she already does. “I don’t have a car, but also it’s just that I like being outside, especially now that it’s warmer, Beck said. “I could take the bus, but if I walk somewhere it’s that much better.” Being physically fit, as a student, is attainable—with the resources, gyms and classes offered on campus, Beck said. “I think it’s a problem just because I live literally 10 minutes from campus, but

tons of people take the bus, because we’re right by the bus stop,” Beck said. If more students had better diets and chose to go to the gym, a lot more would live healthier lives, she said. According to AHA, heart disease and strokes are, respectively, the nation’s number one and number five killers, and that sedentary jobs have increased 83 percent since 1950. “Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any phys-

Free student-run museum teams up with Amazon.com 4By Deonna Edgar staff writer

The Utah State University Museum of Anthropology is collecting money through Amazon to help fund the student-run museum. At checkout, Amazon. com gives 6 to 15 percent of the money made from the purchase to the anthropology museum when the purchase is made through a portal link housed on the anthropology museum’s web page. “Every time I buy something on Amazon I always go through that link,” said Reigan Ware, a museum assistant and anthropology major. “It really does help.” The museum, started in 1963 by Gordon Keller, is run and maintained by students. Deputy Director

and Curator Molly Cannon started working for the museum last July and shared what the museum provides students. “It is a teaching museum,” she said. “We use the physical space to teach USU students how to work in museums anywhere from working and maintaining the collections or digitalizing the collections. Everything was conceptualized, designed and constructed by students.” Cannon said the museum is interested in teaching the community and families about anthropology and different cultures. “We are interested in sharing with our community of what anthropology is and what culture is, and that manifests in different regions and groups of peo-

ple,” she said. Museum volunteers and staff encourage patrons to apply that knowledge as well. “We are not just interested in showing isolated cultures but explaining what the human experience is like and how it is that similar or different because of your culture and location,” Cannon said. “We also want to show the nature of human behavior both in the present and in the past.” Ware said she enjoys working for the museum. Ware helped put together the childhood exhibit on display in the museum. “I love the teamwork that is involved in putting together an amazing experience for the community and museum patrons,” she

said. The museum also provides community activities, such as Family’s 1st Saturday, held the first Saturday of each month. Museum Assistant Prairie Fox is a senior majoring in anthropology with an emphasis in archeology. She helps with the World Explorer’s club event. “Family’s 1st Saturdays program ... is where we highlight a country every month and have activities for kids and that families can participate in,” Fox said. “We recently did Ireland, and we talked about the culture there, and I specifically talked about the archaeology found in the area. The kids also

jSee MUSEUM, Page 3

Suicide From Page 1 Bush understands that friends may feel awkward about approaching the subject, but said people shouldn’t worry that talking about it will make it worse because, “that’s not the case.” Bush attended the memorial service Dunigan helped organize earlier this month, which had more than a hundred people in attendance. It’s “remarkable” how many lives are impacted by these individuals, Bush said. Dunigan agreed and said the event hit “close to home.” “Everybody grieves differently,” she said. “Losing somebody in that particular way is much harder because obviously, everybody feels guilty in some way.” Bush said although people often feel guilt when a friend commits suicide, it’s not their fault. He said the goal is to create “as many reasons to find hope as possible and then respect individual’s rights to govern their lives.” He added that many people have a “naive” idea that a good life is a life without difficulty, but accepting that pain is a part of life makes life less difficult.

ical activity and is a simple, affordable step people can take to positively improve their heart health,” according to the media release from the AHA about Walking Day. The American Heart Association will also provide a free toolkit for personal health, or to be used in communities, schools and organizations, through registration on their website. There will also be an

official event on National Walking Day in Salt Lake City, where people can come together for an hour to walk the perimeter of City Creek Center, and enjoy a presentation, music and food afterwards. For more information about National Walking Day or the American Heart Association, visit: www. heart.org

—mandy.m.morgan@ aggiemail.usu.edu

USU holds first ‘Mental Health is No Joke’ week 4By Kelsey Schwab staff writer

Sheree Haggan believes HOPE is a four-letter acronym that has the potential to save lives. “HOPE stands for healing, openness, perseverance and empowerment,” said Haggan, a multicultural program coordinator in the Access and Diversity Center. Inspired by that idea, Utah State University is hosting its first annual “Mental Health is No Joke” week, beginning Tuesday, including a keynote speaker, a workshop series and a mental health fair. Alexis Jones, founder and CEO of the international organization I Am That Girl, will kick off the event in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom with a keynote presentation, “#BeBrave: dreams, love and living radically.” Utah State’s chapter of I Am That Girl worked with the Center for Women and Gender to bring Jones to USU. The workshop series will be held Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Merril-Cazier Library room 101. Each 20-minute workshop will cover topics such as suicide, impulsiveness, stress management and mindfulness. They are

designed to provide individuals with tools to help themselves and others cope with mental health issues. “Talking about mental health is hard and the stigma associated with the term is not a positive one, but it is definitely something that needs to be addressed,” said Evelyn Hernandez, a member of USU’s I Am That Girl. “Mental health is usually kept on the down low. It’s important to know that mental health does not define us, but is a problem that comes along for the ride at times.” Many USU departments will be participating in a mental health fair on Thursday, including the Marriage and Family Therapy Department, multicultural clubs from the Access and Diversity Center, the USU Community Clinic, SAAVI and USU Counseling and Psychological Services. There will also be several organizations from the community, including Bear River Health, CAPSA, Logan Regional and Quality Youth Services in attendance. “The purpose of the fair is to show students the type of resources available for someone that may be

jSee WEEK, Page 3

(Phil Skinner/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT) photo ERIC CLARK, pictured at the Georgia Perimeter College Campus in Decatur, Georgia, March 28, 2013, suffers from depression and is a member of Active Minds that helps dispel stigma about mental illness on college campuses.

“It’s nice to be in denial ... but I think we can allow people, when they have a rough patch, that (mindset of) ‘Oh yeah, this is part of the deal. It’s just kind of how it works,’” he said. “’There’s nothing wrong with me because I’m struggling.’” In addition to CAPS there are services available at the Family Life Clinic, at bottom of Old Main Hill, the behavioral health services at nearby hospitals and Bear River Mental Health, which doesn’t accept clients with-

out Medicaid. The university is also putting on Mental Health Week, including a workshop on suicide awareness at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Sheree Haggan, a multicultural coordinator in the Access and Diversity Center, said she’s especially excited for the event on Tuesday where they will have a speaker and plan on dedicating two scholarships in honor of people who have committed suicide. Bush said he is also look-

ing forward to the event and hope students will feel support throughout the week. “You may feel like your life doesn’t matter, and yet it matters to hundreds of individuals,” Bush said. “Even if you kind of feel like you’re a zero in the sum of things — not from my observation. I love recognizing how much one life matters, so I hope students will get that when they question their worth.”

File photo

— m.noble@ aggiemail.usu.edu

ERI BENTLY A LICENSED psychologist who works at CAPS brings her dog Boris to help with animal assited therapy.

Campus News

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Page 3

Utah State participates in Earth Hour 4By Michael Mcbride staff writer

Driving past campus on Saturday night, some may have noticed the big “A” on Old Main was turned off. This was for Earth Hour, an event first started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. The “A” was off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. During that time, a party was being held in the Lundstrom Student Center. The party lasted until after 11 p.m. After the slow start, with March Madness going on around that time, the party saw more than 50 attendees come and go as they danced and threw glow sticks at each other. Earth Hour began as a way to help raise awareness of climate change. Last year, over 162 countries participated in the annual event of not using anything electrical for one hour. “Earth Day goes beyond the

hour,” said Frank De Leon, a sophomore in aviation and the Earth Day event organizer. Several other countries have embraced the idea of Earth Hour and multiple governments have encouraged citizens to turn their lights off for the hour, De Leon said. Darren Bingham, a junior in environmental studies, was the promoter of the party. Bingham represents the organization campus.myactions.org, a website that promotes sustainable actions such as Earth Hour. Bingham said he hopes “that we can get 110 colleges around the country to participate in this event.” According to an email from campus.myactions.org, 22 people sent texts from Utah State, which was the second-largest turnout of the 22 universities that participated across the country. Awareness for the hour is not

as high on campus as they would like. This is something De Leon and Bingham hope to work on for next year, they said, with an even bigger party. Gary Phillips, the area coordinator of the Student Living Center, provided funds from the housing budget, and Charles Darnell, vice president of facilities allowed the “A” to be turned off during the hour. Brendan Whitelaw from Pi Cappa Alpha was there to promote the Greeks Go Green initiative and was offering prizes for the raff le. He donated 25 gift cards for $10 to HuHot Mongolian Grill. Whitelaw stated that he and his fraternity hope to “team up with Utah Clean Cities to promote cleaner air quality in Cache Valley.”

Kyle Todecheene photo

— mthomasmcbride@ gmail.com

USU STUDENTS HELD an Earth Day party on Saturday in the Lundstrom Student Center. In addition to the party, the “A” on Old Main was turned off for one hour.

Week

Museum

From Page 2

From Page 2 crafted some shields and there was food there too. We had soda-bread, and we talked about traditional food in Ireland.” Cannon said the money collected through Amazon will help fund supplies for such programs as well as the materials needed to take care of collections, such as boxes, foam and archival pens. Ware said programs like World Explorer’s could use donations to bring new technology and interactive opportunities to the museum. “It just really helps this museum to continue on with our (mission), which is to inform the public about anthropology,” she said.

— deonna.edgar@aggiemail.usu.edu

struggling with mental health or even on how to help someone that may be struggling with it,” Hernandez said. Ty Aller, a graduate student in the marriage and family therapy program, said the inspiration for the event came through his experience of losing a close friend to suicide. “I have now taken on the responsibility to work with my peers to increase sensitivity and awareness of mental health issues,” Aller said.

Thakary Minson photo THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY is teaming up with Amazon.com to raise funds.

Police Blotter Friday, March. 20 • USU Police responded to the Aggie Terrace in three minutes for a report of a dog in a vehicle. The vehicle was gone when police arrived. • USU Police responded to the Stadium West Lot in two minutes for a report of a syringe in the lot. I picked up the syringe and disposed of it in the drug disposal in office lobby. Saturday, March. 21 • An individual was seen in the area of Fredrico’s Pizza, walking west towards campus carrying a black rifle. Officers contacted the individual and it was determined that he had been up shooting in the canyon and was walking home. The rifle was an air-soft that looked very real. The individual was given a ride home. Sunday, March. 22

“The event is the beginning of a long career of helping those around me live a beautiful life.” Haggan said the week’s theme will bring more hope to USU in future years. “We already have departments willing to collaborate in the future to help fund annual mental health-themed event weeks,” Haggan said. “This is the beginning of something much bigger.” More information about the events can be found at online on the university calendar.

— schwaby23@ hotmail.com

Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 incident, and the cushion is home safe and sound. The cushion-nappers have been caught.

• USU Police responded to the odor of marijuana in the education building. Officers were unable to detect any suspicious odors.

Thursday, March. 26 • USU Police responded to the fine arts building for a possible citizen dispute. There was a heated dispute between a student and a faculty member over being in an area that the student should have not been in. The dispute was resolved and the parties were separated.

Tuesday, March. 24 • USU Police investigated a traffic accident that occurred when a small passenger car backed out of a parking stall into a small SUV while traveling in the parking lot travel lane. The small SUV was towed from the scene because the vehicle became disabled due to the accident. Damage to both vehicles was estimated at over $2000.

• USU Police assisted a group of motorist that were backed up in the Aggie Terrace to exit quicker. • Officers responded to a noise complaint at the Aggie Terrace. The credit card machine near the east exit was malfunctioning. Facilities was contacted to fix the machine.

• A couch cushion was cushion-napped from an Old Farm apartment and held for ransom, and a ransom letter was found at the scene. The ransom amount was 1 gallon of cookies and creme ice cream. The exchange was made at the flag poles by the Tanner Fountain. The exchange person was paid in ice cream; 1/2 gallon of the cookies and creme. The exchange was executed without

4Compiled by Jeffrey Dahdah

COMMON

April 8 11:30 AM TSC Ballroom First 200 people will be entered to win a prize!

Hit Songwriter TV Personality Music Executive Over 160 million albums Record producer Author American Idol judge Broadway performer SONGS RECORDED BY Pink Christina Aguilera Kelly Clarkson Rascal Flatts Gwen Stefani The Band Perry

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 4

Student life

Thakary Minson photos CHARLEE BUNDY HOLDS HER DAUGHTER JADEE AT THE BRAVEHEART RACE (LEFT). Runners gather to participate in the 5K and 10K hosted by the ROTC to fundraise for Jadee (top right), and a young runner takes off from the starting line (bottom right).

Community runs for Jadee 4By Miranda Lorenc senior writer

At 9 a.m. Saturday a shot was fired, and more than 200 runners, walkers and stroller pushers began to race at the ROTC’s fifth-annual 5K and 10K Braveheart charity race. “I say it was a good turnout,” said David Addington, a mechanical and aerospace engineering freshman

and the winner of the 10-kilometer race. “We had over 200 people sign up, and the weather’s beautiful, and I’m looking forward to it next year.” Created five years ago by the ROTC’s aerospace studies department as a way to give back to the community, the Braveheart race is organized solely by Air Force cadets, said Joann Wade, the business manager for aerospace studies.

“It’s just very, very organized. Takes about 70 people to pull it off, all student based,” Wade said. “I help out only because I’m centrally located, so I just do the money account, and I do the scheduling and that’s it. The cadets do everything else.” Each student had their own job, Wade said, from being in charge of registration to being the on-site

EMT to even the hydration specialist who made sure everyone had easy access to water. “The Braveheart race is all about just helping families in the community that don’t have money or that have a child in need,” said Kirk Dial, a senior in civil engineering, “to be able to actually get the opportunity to help subsidize some of those costs because it is expensive.”

Every year the cadets choose one family to donate all the proceeds from the race, and this year they chose Jadee Bundy, a baby girl who was born prematurely with heart and lung anomalies. Her parents said Jadee was born a month early and has already undergone one heart surgery. She has

jSee RUN, Page 5

April Fool me once ... Aggies discuss do’s and don’ts of pranking 4By Monica Delatorre

“Some ideas might seem funny, but do not do them if they are dangerous or stupid.” Utah State University students had many stories to The days of classic pranks like whoopee cushions, share about pranks that have happened around camhand buzzers and rubber chickens are over. People are pus. getting more creative on how to make others laugh on Kia Sundberg, a sophomore in music performance, April Fools’ Day. noted a prank she saw last year. She was crossing the Although there are many speculations on how this parking lot when she saw a vehicle that had newspaper holiday first started, it remains a mystery. In America, and Saran Wrap spray painted onto it. She spoke with April Fools’ is a day where it is more socially accept- the owner of the car and found that the inside was loadable for people to bring out the ed with balloons that were filled humorous, flamboyant side with glitter. of their personality and show “Even the air conditionKassi Brandow it off to family and friends in ing vents were filled with sparSenior the form of antics, jokes and kles,” Sundberg said. “It must pranks. have been torture to clean up.” “My freshman year, my In order to avoid these roommate and I got involved disastrous messes, pranksters in this prank war with some should also consider cleaning guys from Mountain View,” up after April Fools’ fun. said Kassi Brandow, a senior “I think pranks are hysmajoring in music education. terical, particularly when they “Somehow they broke into our aren’t pulled on me,” said Clair room and left us a note that Canfield, a lecturer in commusaid, ‘Good luck finding it.’” nications at USU. “Once, a few After a long period of searchpeople brought socks and nying, Brandow and her roommate never found anything, lons full of flour and just rushed in and started smackbut they were amused nonetheless. However, she said ing people. Every time you hit someone, a gigantic not all ideas should be carried out. cloud of powder would pop out and create a disaster.” “A few years back, some guys wanted to soak bread With pranks, it’s important to be really sure what Mark Bell photo illustration in NyQuil and feed it to ducks, and then they wanted kind of relationship the pranker has with the pran PARKER ROBISON (BOTTOM) PRANKS Richard Buys (top) while to take those ducks and put them into their RA’s room because he always left his door open,” Brandow said. jSee PRANKS, Page 5 he sleeps. staff writer

“

Some ideas might seem funny, but do not do them if they are dangerous or stupid.

”

Humans of USU: Freshman once egged Justin Bieber

The Utah Statesman interviewed Carly Antonetti, a freshman studying art history and biology from Sicily, Italy.

cided to come back to the country and spend some time with family.

US: What are you studying? CA: I’ve got a major in art history and I’m doing a double-major in biology. I’m in my freshman year, but I’ll actually be graduating next semester.

Utah Statesman: At what age did you come to the United States? Carly Antonetti: I was six. My dad is from Italy, but my mom’s Hungarian. US: How was it growing up in a diverse background like that? CA: I went to a boarding school, so I don’t know. When I was home, it was strict.

US: Did you plan to go to the Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork? CA: No, I’ve got really bad lungs so all of the chalk really messes with me. I actually went to one in Mumbai a couple years ago. It was fun and busy. It’s the most populated country in the world. It’s a lot of people.

US: Coming to the U.S., did you experience some culture shock? CA: It’s interesting because none of us spoke English, but my dad was contracted out to the U.S. government, so it was an experience. US: What brought you to Utah State University? CA: My mom lives in Sandy, and I actually had some family members die recently and so I de-

US: Why were you in Mumbai? CA: I was backpacking with my brothers.

US: What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? Thakary Minson photo

jSee HUMANS, Page 5

Student Life

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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Beat poetry slams Utah State 4By Sadie Herrera staff writer

The Asia Project slammed out poetry with both serious and lighter vibes Friday for Slam Poetry Night. Jake Taylor, a senior studying social studies composite teaching, was the emcee for Slam Poet Night. Utah State University’s arts and lecture department hosted the event. This year marked Slam Poet Night’s third year, Taylor said. “As far as the student openers who came tonight, they’re just people that we’ve met before that have performed at Po-Bev or that we know that are just into the poetry scene, and we asked them to perform,” Taylor said. Sarah Winder, a junior studying broadcast journalism, and the arts and lectures director was in charge of planning the event. “Slam Poetry Night is a great way to bring a new culture to Utah State,” Winder said. “Po-Bev is a good way to let students perform and have an open mic, but it’s kind of evolved into a music scene, and I think not very many people perform poetry there. However, I think poetry is super important to Utah State, and I’m glad this event can help provide that.” Those who attended the event sat down to treats and listened to five openers, all USU students. However, the main attraction at the event was The Asia Project, a duo of brothers who combine poetry with music. The pair travels the country. Asia Samson, a member of The Asia Project, said he loves the self-expression that poetry offers as well as being able to connect with many people

Humans From Page 4 CA: In Sicily there’s this cheese that you can eat that’s full of maggots that they give to you in restaurants, and you’re just kind of expected to eat it. In Rome a delicacy that’s considered there is a door mouse. I didn’t try the cheese, just didn’t want to because it was literally moving, but I’ve tried door mouse and it’s not terrible. It’s a lot like frog legs. US: So it doesn’t taste like chicken? CA: It’s kind of similar. It’s just that you can tell there are lots of little bones and it makes you not want to eat it again. It’s a similar texture, but its taste is a lot saltier. So when they say it tastes like chicken, they probably mean the texture is a lot similar. Like frog legs are very similar texture and density, but they don’t taste like chicken. US: Would you rather go to a Miley Cyrus concert or a Justin Bieber concert? CA: Well I’ve actually been to a Justin Bieber concert with my friend because her little sister won some tickets, and we threw eggs at him. So probably

Annie Hall photo THE ASIA PROJECT, A TWO-BROTHER POETRY ACT, performs Friday for Slam Poetry Night. The group travels the country to perform.

through poetry. “Literacy and poetry is such an amazing art form,” Samson said. “I think it’s culturally amazing. People can talk about so many different things with poetry from life to culture to whatever. Having these kinds of events are a great way to express yourself, especially when this many people show up. It’s amazing.” Samson performed a number of his own poems, inspired by experiences in his own life, including the loss of his sister and his history with cancer.

that again, that was fun. I brought ear plugs. I came prepared, but we dressed up in the scariest clothing we could find, and we both go to Warped Tour every year so we listen to interesting music. I was in like black leather and she had her Mohawk. Her sister was in a sundress in the front row, 12 years old, screaming, and we were like “Yeah, we’re just going to throw things at him.” US: What’s your favorite musical group? CA: Right now it’s probably Bring Me the Horizon. They do metal-core. US: If you could describe Logan’s weather in one word, what would it be? CA: Cold. I was born in a tropical area. I went to school in the south of France for a long time. I just got back from a trip in Africa. It’s cold. US: What were you doing in Africa? CA: I went with an aid relief program to help people in Uganda. We took little first aid kits to people. There were a bunch of girls that were kidnapped, so they kind of put us on lockdown for a while, which was really sad, but we went and talked to families and we gave shots to people and stuff like that.

Both Winder and Taylor see the benefits that these types of events can bring to USU students. “At university and especially at Utah State where the poetry scene is growing, especially the spoken-word poetry scene ... there’s a lot of people who are interested, but there’s not an outlet or a venue for people who have never seen it or (for) performing themselves,” Taylor said. “Things like this give people that outlet even more than Po-Bev does, because Po-Bev has a lot more music than probably a lot of

us would like. We’d like to see more poetry.” Shyanne Hatch, a senior studying history education, was in the audience at the event. “It was great,” Hatch said. “I loved it.” Hatch said while the event was a great way to get students out and involved, it was also interesting to hear the variety of topics covered. With the turnout of this event, Taylor would like to see students take the initiative to continue the tradition of Slam Poet Night and the overall po-

Run From Page 4 other heart anomalies that will need surgery soon, as well as a diminished trachea that will need reconstructive surgery. She was also born with duodenal atresia, a condition where the intestine is blocked off from the stomach. This had to be surgically fixed days after her birth. “It was humbling,” said Charlee Bundy, Jadee’s mother. “It’s humbling to be the center of a charity race, but it’s also a very big honor, I think, and very touching that they would do it.” Family, friends, students and supportive community members gathered for this year’s race to donate their time and money to help Jadee’s family pay for the surgeries. More than $3,000 was raised from the entry fees and raffle ticket purchases, said Mike Emery, a senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and the race coordinator. “When you sign up, everything that you pay for that doesn’t go towards overhead, it just goes directly to our cause every time,” Emery said. “So you know that when you sign up, you really are getting the most bang for your buck, I guess, as far as charity goes.” Emery said for an admission fee of $15, a racer would get a spot in the race, free food, a T-shirt and a raffle ticket for prizes. Extra raffle tickets were available to buy, and prizes came from donations from businesses all over the valley including Jimmy John’s, Noodles & Company, Buffalo Wild Wings and more. Over the years, the Air Force cadets have chosen a number of different causes to support through each race, Wade said. The idea to start a charity race came from

etry scene at the university. “Honestly, me and a lot of the people that do it are leaving,” Taylor said. “We’re all seniors, so students are going to have to take the initiative themselves. There’s plenty of students that we know that still like poetry and perform poetry at PoBev. But what really needs to happen is the creation of a solid club that does poetry like this.” Winder sees an event like this as something any USU student can relate to. “I think students need to come to events like this be-

a desire to give back to the community. The cadets found their first cause in the form of their comrade’s newborn son who needed a heart transplant. In the past, the cadets have chosen to help other children in need of support, including a child with severe autism and a child with Klinefelter syndrome. Last year, they chose a child with hearing deficiencies from the Sound Beginnings program at Utah State University to help buy specialized equipment that will help him learn how to read, write and speak, Wade said. “There is a process. Usually what we do is we go out and talk to people and kind of find out situations and get a couple of individuals who are in need and then based off of that,” Dial said. “It sucks, but we have to pick one, so we usually just kind of figure out some kind of process to choose one.” Wade stressed the importance of holding an event to get the community to come out and be involved instead of just having an online donation account. “I think it’s really easy for people in the world to just click a button and donate money,” Wade said, “but to give your time, I think that’s something that’s becoming a thing of the past, and I love that our students are learning about giving their time to help somebody, not just money.” Runners had the option of running in the 5K or the 10K race, and there was a 1-mile fun run for children. The course started west of the TSC, circled around Old Main and the Quad, then led to 1200 North and back down Aggie Boulevard. Runners for the 5K did two laps, and the 10K runners did four. “Watch out for it next year,” Emery said. “We always have posters just up on campus. We’ll be trying to get your attention.”

— miranda.lorenc@ gmail.com

For more information call Darla • (435) 770-0900 • darladclark@comcast.net

cause, one, I think it will surprise them how much it will connect to them,” Winder said. “I think people sometimes get scared by poetry because they think it will be boring or slow or they don’t quite understand it, but if they were to come, I think they would laugh, they would cry, they would feel the spectrum of emotions, and I think it would be great for them.”

— sadiejherrera@ aggiemail.usu.edu

Pranks From Page 4

kee, he said. “I don’t really like pranks,” said Kylen Wyatt, a freshman majoring in English. “They can be hurtful and time-consuming to clean up. Wyatt also said what makes a great prank is incorporating humor with consideration for the prankee. “If they were positive and complimentary, then I would find them great,” she said. “I like pranks that make the prankee smile. Perhaps going up to a stranger and saying something strange, but it’s actually a compliment. Just pranks that show people you care.”

— monica.a.deltorre@ gmail.com

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 6

Sports Behind the scenes: Utah State team managers contribute to the success of Aggie athletics 4By Thomas Sorenson staff writer

Kylee Larsen photo DJ ECKMAN HELPS OUT the football team during the spring football scrimmage on Friday.

It’s not unusual for Kayden Calder to be the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. But Calder is not a student-athlete. He is one of the managers for the Utah State basketball team. The managers do whatever the coach needs them to do to help the team, Calder said. “Basically anything from doing laundry to setting up for practice,” he said. Connor Garner is another manager on the basketball team with Calder. He said that a manager does whatever the team needs. “If someone needs a better pair of shoes, we go up to their locker and get it,” Garner said “We do the clock, clean up sweat spots on the floor while we’re there. You know, all that little stuff.” Managers for all school sports put in a lot of time but aren’t usually noticed for what they do. “It’s a lot of the gritty work that people don’t really think about, like ‘Who does that? Who does that?’” said Nico Bronzati, one of the managers of the football team. “It’s usually us. ... It’s kind of all the behind the scenes stuff

that a lot of people don’t realize.” Not only do the managers help with practice and do laundry, but they also work during the games. “Game days are long,” Bronzati said. Garner agreed. “During the games we’ll do whatever they need us to do: towels, water, make sure that the guys that are on the bench are taken care of,” he said. Because the managers are students, they still have to find the time to complete their schoolwork while fulfilling their responsibilities as managers. “It’s pretty tough because it’s the same as the guys [on the team],” Calder said. “We travel with them and everything. We have that same load where we have to keep on our grades because we’re on scholarship as well, so we have to maintain all that.” Calder’s sister, Shani Calder, is the manager of the volleyball team and said she feels similar pressures. “It’s really hard with school, but it’s worth it I think,” Shani said. In order to aid the coaches and players, the managers

See SCENES Page 7

Jeffrey Dahdah photo NICO BRONZATI PREPARES the team for a road game against Colorado State last season.

Aggies compete in spring football scrimmage 4By Kalen Taylor sports editor

Hunter Sharp led the offense and the defense provided a team effort in the Aggies first spring football scrimmage. “There’s a lot of stuff we’ve got to clean up,” said senior quarterback Chuckie Keeton, who is preparing for his final season at Utah State. “We weren’t really on the same page at the beginning of the scrimmage, but things started to click at the end.” The scrimmage lasted nearly to two hours and totaled close to 100 plays. “It’s fun to get out in good weather,” said head coach Matt Wells. “I thought there was really good competition early, a lot of good give and take.” Sharp had four catches for 133 yards and scored two touchdowns. “There’s some stuff we can work on, but as a whole we did good,” Sharp said. “It’s a big confidence booster coming off my first spring ball. It’s a good way to start it. I can’t wait for the future, me and Chuckie Keeton.” His second touchdown was as 42-yard strike thrown by Keeton on the last play of a two-minute drill. “I’m the winner today,” Wells said. “Head coach walks off in the spring as a winner. From an offensive standpoint, that’s a timing route. A smooth drop-

Duryea

From Page 1 Barnes explained what set Duryea apart from the other candidates. “What were we looking for? First and foremost, I wanted a partner,” Barnes said. “Somebody that shared my vision for what our men’s basketball program could be. We certainly have that somebody who understands the unique attributes and how to position this program to win a Mountain West championship, to participate in and win NCAA Tournament games.” Duryea now leads a program that earned four-straight WAC championships before moving to the competitive Mountain West. USU ended its second season in the conference with a two-point loss to eventual tournament-champion Wyo-

Kylee Larsen photo HUNTER SHARP STRETCHES OUT to make a catch along the sideline while Tyler Floyd tries to catch up. Friday was the first day that Utah State had a full scrimmage. The Aggies will have one more scrimmage this Friday before the Blue-White spring game on April 11 at 2 p.m.

back by Chuckie and good protection by the O-line, good execution by Hunter Sharp. On the other end those are mistakes that happened on defense. They’ll learn from that.” Oregon transfer Damion Hobbs played quarterback

with the second team, and DJ Nelson played with the third. Darrell Garretson missed the practice due to personal reasons, and Kent Myers is playing wide receiver for the Aggies. Wells said it was Myers’ idea and he will continue playing

there through the spring. The staff will evaluate his position over the summer. Besides the big plays on offense, the defense was the winner on the day. There was a safety recorded as well as seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss by

ming, all while playing with a revamped roster. With all five starters returning and a new coach at the helm, expectations for the coming season are already rising. “I wish the season started tomorrow,” Duryea said. “We’ve learned so much the last two years about the Mountain West and about the things you have to do to be competitive in this league. We were changing things as we went from the first year to the second year and from the beginning of the season to the end of the season.” One theme of the new hire is aiming to compete at the next level, a prospect a few Aggie players are already voicing. “It’s good for the team, knowing what we have coming in, and he’s excited to be the coach,” said sophomore wing Jalen Moore. “We are all ready to keep getting better and going up.” Freshman forward David Collette echoed Moore’s opti-

mism. “It is a good decision, and he deserves the job,” Collette said. “He’s going to make some necessary changes that will help us grow even further as a team.” Growth, getting better, going up — those are words Aggie fans like hearing. While successful at the conference level, Utah State remains winless in the NCAA tournament over its past six appearances dating back to 2003. Duryea already knows a thing or two about shattering expectations. “We tied for fourth after being picked 10th,” Duryea said, addressing the Mountain West’s preseason media poll. “I think our guys feel we left a few games out there that could have meant a league championship or contending for a league championship in the last couple of weeks. I hope that drives us through the summer and through the offseason as much as it is driving me now to im-

prove internally and make next year a very exciting year.” And it isn’t just big talk — the new coach has a plan for the Aggies’ upcoming season, and it hinges on making one of USU’s strengths even more formidable. “As a team, our defense was about third in the league, which wasn’t bad,” Duryea said. “We felt we had to do some things, at times, to put a Band-Aid on things like avoiding foul trouble, maybe hiding a guy in some situations. We need to get past that. We have to be better individual defenders, and we have to rebound the ball better than we did this year. We made great strides from the beginning of the year to the end, but we need to go a lot further.” Duryea also explained his plans for the Aggies offense, which he’s been in charge of for the past seven seasons. “I would like to push the pace a little bit and stay on the track where we are,” Duryea

12 different players. “It’s a starting point for us,” said Devin Centers, a junior free safety and one of the few returning players in the defensive secondary. “We know where we need to get better. A lot of people are getting oppor-

tunities. We all need to step up and be better next time.” The defense seemed to focus on shutting down the inside run game, holding the offense to 100 rush yards on 44 attempts. Senior Rashad Hall led all rushers with 34 yards on seven carries. “I thought we ran the ball pretty good on the perimeter,” Wells said. “We’ve got to work on the tackle-to-tackle game. On the D-line I thought that David Moala and Ricky Ali’fua showed up early, and I flat out thought they all got tired at the end. Good and bad in everything.” Centers said on defense they never want to give up any explosive plays. “I didn’t really like the way we played,” Centers said. “That’s on me, being the returning guy. I need to get my guys together. I need to get them together, get in the film room, make corrections and be better next time.” Wells agreed with Centers and said that the defense can’t give up big plays in end-ofgame situations. “In the two-minute drill, a plus for one team and a negative for the other,” Wells said. “That was a learning situation for the first-team defense. You can’t ever get beat that way.”

— kalen.s.taylor@ gmail.com Twitter: @kalen_taylor

Kylee Larsen photo

NEW AGGIE BASKETBALL COACH Tim Duryea (right) shakes hands with athletic director Scott Barnes after being named USU head coach.

said. “We are a really good 3-point shooting team and led the league in 3-point shooting and in offensive-field goal percentage because our guys play together and took really good shots. We have a lot of really

unselfish players on our team. I think we can even expand on that format offensively.”

— logantjones@ aggiemail.usu.edu Twitter: @logantj

Sports

Page 7

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Bubble soccer takes over the quad Kyle Todecheene photo

Landon Pozernick photos STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE BUBBLE SOCCER tournament held by the Latino Student Union on Friday. One goal of the tournament was to raise awareness about Latin culture on campus. Students competed in the tournament on Friday and Saturday before a winning team was crowned. Several of the soccer rules were ammended to compensate for low visibility and mobility.

USU women’s tennis splits its first two MW matches 4By Kalen Taylor sports editor

Kylee Larsen photo TREVOR MANN carries a bag of equipment preparing for the spring football scrimmage on Friday.

Scenes From Page 6 often put in extra work that goes unseen by people outside the team. A lot of times the basketball managers stay late after practice to rebound for the players who want to practice shooting, Kayden said. The football managers come early to practice so they are ready to help with whatever the coach needs, Bronzati said. “We have to be here by 5 a.m. because practice starts at 6 a.m., but coach hasn’t decided whether he wants practice indoor or on the field yet,” he said. “So we have to be here extra early and then when we get the call, we have to set up.” The managers agreed that traveling with the team is difficult because of the time commitment but is also one of the most enjoyable parts of the job. Being able to see all of the different basketball environments in the Moun-

tain West Conference was a great experience, Kayden said. “I mean, you go from the Pit to San Diego,” he said. “There’s great places everywhere. So that was probably one of my favorite things about it was just feeling all the different environments.” Bronzati also enjoys the travel aspect and being a part of the team. “The BYU game last year was pretty cool,” Bronzati said. “And then just to see how all the coaches react and how all the players react as it happened, you know, and the locker room after is always something special.” According to both Calders, the job is a grind, but it’s also a lot of fun. “I think it’s definitely worth it,” Shani said. “You know, you do miss a little school, but you learn a ton doing it, and it’s helped me a lot.”

— thomas.sorenson@ aggiemail.usu.edu Twitter: @tomcat340

The Utah State women’s tennis team opened its Mountain West season with a 5-2 loss to Wyoming on Friday and a 5-2 win over Colorado State on Sunday. “We knew we couldn’t start off 0-2 in the Mountain West,” said Aggie head coach Sean McInerney. “After a really slow start in doubles, we were able to get it together and win 5-out-of-6 singles matches. It was a huge win for us, to get back to 1-1 and keep us within striking distance.” Against Colorado State, Meghan Lyall clinched the match for the Aggies by defeating Maddie Buxton 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. “I wasn’t really sure that I was the fourth point,” Lyall said. “I wasn’t really worried about winning to clinch the match — more just because I knew I should and I knew I could. I knew that it was important that everyone wins their singles match because we dropped the doubles point.” McKenzie Davis finished her match first, sweeping CSU’s Natalie Heffron 6-3, 6-3 to pull USU into a 1-1 team tie. Lexi Turley won next in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4 giving the Aggies the advantage in the match. “Coming off the doubles point loss, that’s usually a strong point for us, coming out in singles it was big to start and stay on top,” Turley said. “They’re such a mental team, it was important to stay on task the whole time.” Laia Hernandez Soler provided CSU with its only sin-

gles win by defeating USU’s Maggie O’Meara 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Freshman Nini Guensler was the last player to finish in a marathon of a match. Guensler dropped the first set against Adriana Wojakowska 5-7 before coming back to take the second 7-5, after trailing 5-1. Because the match was already decided, Guensler and Wojakowska played a tie-break set to 10 to decide the winner. Guensler rode the comeback momentum and won the tie breaker 10-3. “Nini coming back, it was really good to see,” Turley said. “She’s growing up and playing and learning how to dig deep and find those wins. It was a really big match for her to look at maybe being picked to be all conference.” While playing Wyoming on Friday, Utah State lost the doubles point when Lexi Turley and Lyall fell 6-3 to Alma Espinosa and Christa Gecheva. The Cowboys clinched the doubles point when Dorattya Jonas and Silviya Zhelyazkova defeated Sabrina Demerath and Guensler 6-1. Wyoming gained a 2-0 team lead by winning at the No. 4 singles spot, Jessica Parizher defeated Utah State freshman Maggie O’Meara 6-3, 6-2. The Aggies came back to tie the match at two. First, Davis beat Magdalena Stencel in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 followed by a Guensler straight-set win 6-4, 6-3 over Nastya Tokareva. Wyoming won the rest of the singles matches clinching the team win at the No. 5 spot. Zhelyazkova defeated Demerath in a three-set match 6-1, 2-6, 6-1.

Ryan Costanzo photo

KALLIE SPERRY RETURNS A SHOT while playing against Wyoming on Friday. Utah State lost its first MW match but won against Colorado State on Sunday.

“We had moments of playing really well. I thought Wyoming did a great job,” McInerney said after the Wyoming match. “They came in here, and they have a lot of players with a lot of experience. They kind of magnified our mistakes, and that’s what experience does for you.” The Aggies continue their MW run Thursday by taking on No. 63 New Mexico and then on Saturday against Air Force, both matches are on

the road. “Both are going to be really tough matches,” Lyall said. “The doubles point is definitely going to be crucial again, four singles matches is almost impossible in this conference is nearly impossible. We got the win today, but going in to play New Mexico, we definitely need to refocus.”

— kalen.s.taylor@gmail.com Twitter: @kalen_taylor

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Tuesday, March 31, 2015 Page 9

Opinion The Board Mariah Noble editor-in-chief

——— Jeffrey Dahdah news editor

Manda Perkins asst. news editor

——— Noelle Johansen features editor

Katherine Lambert asst. features editor

——— Kalen Taylor sports editor

Our View: It’s OK to struggle with mental health in college If anyone has been following The Utah Statesman over the last semester, they can already tell our view on An mental health. We’ve published columns on the topic and three-part in-depth series on suicide. We at the Statesman, like many other organizations on this campus, take mental health seriously. That’s not to say we’re trying to make it a bigger deal than it is or trying to sensationalize it — it says we care. We are students here, too. We get how difficult it is. We go home for holidays and talk to relatives on the phone to report how things are going, and hear replies of how things were for them in college. We hear the fond reminiscing of the “best time” of their lives, and when trying to confide in them, we hear the comments of how our troubles were the same for them when

they were in their 20s. They got over it, they say, and so Editorial Opinion should we. Our small sample size of editors have had their share of struggles with depression and anxiety and not knowing where to turn. To quote Krystin Deschamps, the student conduct coordinator in the USU Student Services Office, in part one of the series on college suicides, “That’s the perception, that college is just this time where everything is easy, and the reality is that it’s a hard time.” The reason we bring this up is because we want to let anyone struggling with depression or other mental health issues know that it is OK. We want to let anyone who has had the luxury of not knowing how mental health issues feel that those who do endure these are

Our View

not being lazy, weird or dramatic. According to a Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7.6 percent of Americans age 12 and over have depression. If those numbers hold up with university enrollment, that means that 2,113 students at USU suffer from depression. So we appeal to those of you struggling with depression and mental health. We appeal to those of you who have considered taking drastic actions. We appeal to those of you struggling with anxiety and any form of stress or mental weight: You are not alone, and there is help, even if it seems like there isn’t. Most importantly though, it is OK to labor through college. It won’t always be “the best time of your life.” It is OK if it sometimes feels like the worst time of your life.

Logan Jones asst. sports editor

——— Kylee Larsen phtoto editor

Annie Hall asst. photo editor

——— Mikayla Kapp design editor

The Page Opinions on this page (columns, letters) unless otherwise identified are not from Utah Statesman staff, but from a wide variety of members of the campus community who have strong opinions, just like you. This is an open forum. Want to write something? Contact us: statesmaneditor@ aggiemail.usu.edu.

Letters to the editor All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or e-mail address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 311, or can be emailed to: statesmaneditor@ aggiemail.usu.edu.

Forum letter: USUSA’s recent recommendations ‘uninformed’ To the editor:

I am writing in response to some recent views expressed by the leadership of the USUSA regard-ing the shape and execution of USU degrees. Two recent episodes include discussion of “Dead Week” and the recent USUSA decision to recommend doing away with depth education re-quirements since they are just “barriers to graduation.” Both views, and many other student con-cerns, are symptomatic of a vision of the university articulated by a USUSA VP in this way: “The university runs like a business and the customers are the students.” The common impulse in this “business-consumer model” view of higher education is that stu-dents are consumer-customers, and the customer is always right, so the institution should give the customer the “product” customers want on the customer’s terms. As an operative understanding of purpose and value of higher education, this is, I am afraid, a painfully shallow and uninformed collection of views. The student is not a customer in any ordi-nary sense of the word, and a degree is not a product. You are here to become an educated per-son. That means cultivating the ability to think clearly and critically about a wide range of sub-jects, acquiring the ability to evaluate arguments, reason analytically and to be creative. It means becoming the sort of person who can ask interesting questions and who can answer those ques-tions with some familiarity with how great minds of the past — in history, literature, philosophy, art, science — have wrestled with and answered those questions. In view of these real ends of education, the view that students are “customers” begins to fall apart. What I have described above is not a “product,” and the degree is not something that can be purchased like a new bicycle. If a student is a customer at all, the closest analogy is the physi-cian-patient relationship. In that case, the patient is paying the physician for something that is hard to reduce to a “product” or even a “service.” And while the patient is a customer of the physician, in some sense of the word, ordinary cus-tomer expectations do not hold. In the physi-

cian-patient relationship, the customer/patient is not always right. He is purchasing expertise that will allow him to be healthy. As the “consumer,” the patient is free to ignore the expert prescriptions of the physician. But if he does so, he is likely to be unhealthy. Even if he follows the advice, it is odd to think of health as a “product” of the economic exchange. Health, as a basic human good, transcends the language of consumerism. This is the proper way to think of the “consumer” relationship between student and professor or institution. Students are “buying” access to doctors and their expertise. They are similarly free to ignore the prescriptions of the doctorate faculty — in individual courses, in general education and in major curricula. But doing so will likely lead to a lack of “health” in the soul — namely, being uneducated. And being an educated person — the real end of the degree — is not something you can buy. It, like health, is a basic human good that transcends the language of econom-ic exchange. I understand that students want to graduate. Your professors and the university want you to grad-uate as well. But what and who will graduate? What is the “product” on the other end of the line? A smorgasbord of unrelated classes and a collection of technical skills? Or an educated person, capable of clear and careful thinking about both immediate and perennial human questions? I would not argue that our general education program is flawless. But it is not put in place to in-stall draconian measures meant to prevent students from graduating. Rather, the requirements have been put together by thoughtful experts who have in view the real ends of education. If any-thing, in view of these ends, our requirements should be added to rather than subtracted from. So I strongly discourage students from occupying the “consumer” mindset when it comes to their education. Doing so makes base what is really noble. It reduces the entire enterprise to the calcu-lation of the useful instead of what education really concerns — living well as a person, a citizen and a worker. — Harrison Kleiner, philosophy lecturer

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AFTON APARTMENTS AFFORDABLE PRIVATE BED & BATH HOUSING. Now accepting Summer 2015 ($500$630) & Fall/Spring Applicants ($2500$2700). Bring your friends! 4 people per apartment. Applications available at 564 E 400 N, Logan, UT (in the Laundry Room). Missions Realty Inc - (435) 994-0075. Brentwood, Lynwood, Edgewood Private Bedroom/Bathroom, Washer/Dryer, Furnished, Dishwasher, Microwave, Internet, Cable. From $600 Entire Summer! Call or text (435) 770-7826 or visit our website @ www.logancrestwoods.com for more information.

STORAGE Moving? Don’t haul your things home. Storage units starting at $29 per month. Visit www.CacheValleyStorage.com or call South Cache Storage 435-755-5052

ANNOUNCEMENTS OLD ROCK CHURCH BED & BREAKFAST. Book online at OldRockChurch.com or call (435) 752-3432.

WEDDING IN 2015? Come see us and plan your special Wedding, Luncheon &/or Reception. Visit OldRockChurch.com or call (435)752-3432.

The BackBurner

Page10

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Calendar

Submit events at usustatesman.com/events.

Tuesday, March 31

High: 75 | Low: 36 | Par tly cloudy

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Thursday, April 2

High: 52 | Low : 27 | Par tl y cloudy • • • • • • • • •

Wednesday, April 1 •

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Friday, April 3

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High: 54 | Low : 30 | Sunny

This issue dedicated to:

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Alexis Jones | freshman | mechanical engineering| Farmington, Utah

High: 55 | Low : 28 | Sunny

FALL 2015 Priority Registration Schedule date

TIME*

WHO CAN REGISTER

8:00 PM

Matriculated Graduate Students

10:00 PM

Students with 110+ Earned Credits

11:59 PM

Students with 90+ Earned Credits/2nd Bachelors Students

8:00 PM

Students with 80+ Earned Credits

10:00 PM

Students with 70+ Earned Credits

11:59 PM

Students with 60+ Earned Credits

8:00 PM

Students with 50+ Earned Credits

APR 8

10:00 PM

Students with 40+ Earned Credits

11:59 PM

Students with 30+ Earned Credits

THURSDAY

8:00 PM

Students with 20+ Earned Credits

10:00 PM

Students with 10+ Earned Credits

11:59 PM

Continuing Students with 0+ Earned Credits

MONDAY

APR 6 TUESDAY

APR 7

WEDNESDAY

APR 9

*Please Note: System Clock may vary slightly from your clock. Please allow up to 5 minutes for this possibility.