Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
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USU dean and VP receives nearly $1 million grant By CHELSEY GENSEL staff writer
Noelle Cockett, USU vice president for Extensions and Agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, was granted $930,000 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a research project aiming to map the entire sheep genome. Cockett and a team of researchers in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, France and the U.K. are collaborating to map, identify and sequence ovine, or sheep, DNA so there will be a complete genome as a point of reference for scientists, breeders and farmers. Cockett’s grant is specifically for the analysis of the sequences that are being generated in other labs around the world. She said many mammals have been thoroughly sequenced, and sheep are logically next in line with other livestock species. She said research to map the DNA of fish has begun. “It started with humans, which took billions of dollars. Now, they’ve done elephant, honeybee, dog, cat, pig, horse, then turkey is coming up here,” Cockett said. “It took $55 million for cattle, and we’re going to do sheep with just $2 million.” The mapping consists of taking millions of short sequences, consisting of a couple hundred to more than 1,000 “bases” – abbreviated A, T, C and G – and ordering and connecting the segments, Cockett said. She has been involved in sheep genetics since she came to USU in 1990 and now coordinates the U.S. side of the
international sheep research project, officially called “Assembly of the Ovine Whole Genome Reference Sequence.” Because it can serve as a reference when complete, the project will allow research like that done at Cockett’s biotechnology lab at USU to be compared to that reference and isolate the genes responsible for specific traits, diseases or deformities and allow geneticists and sheep breeders to produce better animals. For example, callipyge, a trait in which sheep have enlarged buttocks, is favorable for animals being used for meat. In research, it was found that a specific set of bases in humans, mice and sheep control this recessive genetic trait, but in certain sheep, one of the base pairs varies. “We have our sheep out by the dairy just cruisin‘ around, and some have very large buttocks,” Cockett said. “That A (base) became a G and boom, they got big bums.” The mapping of the sheep genome does not benefit only sheep farmers, however. Cockett explained that some results of the research helps geneticists learn more about the human genome, as well. For example, the gene responsible for parasite resistance in sheep may relate to immunity in humans. Wool growth, researchers learned, comes from keratin production – the same protein responsible for human hair and fingernail growth. Traits like multiple births and milk production may also match with the genes responsible for those characteristics in humans. Spider-lamb syndrome, which has been studied at USU and is a deformity in lambs that causes the limbs to grow longer than usual and
RYAN NELSON, lab technician and philosophy major, demonstrates how to isolate DNA in the biotechnology lab. A grant of $930,000 was recently awarded to Noelle Cockett, USU vice president for Extensions and Agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, for a research project that will map the entire sheep genome. PETE P. SMITHSUTH photo
thus bend inward, turned out to match gene sequences in several other species and produces an opposite effect in humans – it is the part of the genome responsible for dwarfism, Cockett said. To find those results, Cockett said overlapping pieces from various species have to be
aligned so the differences between the species can be seen. Each lab in the countries involved with the project does the same analysis one piece at a time. She said there are three times
- See GRANT, page 18
Aggies sport mustaches to support men’s health 30 days hath September, April, June and Movember By BENJAMIN WOOD news senior writer
A number of student mustaches will be shaved Monday night as Mustache-November, or Movember, comes to a close. Among the participating men are representatives of the Associated Students of USU and members of the Latter-day Voices Institute Choir. “Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a mustache-growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health,” according to the Movember Web site. The Movember Foundation is run by donations and raises money for the study of treatments and cures for men’s cancers, specifically prostate and testicular. According
to the site, money raised in the U.S. this year will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. “It’s a global phenomenon,” said Rick Kelly, ASUSU vice president of graduate studies. Movember began at USU largely due to Kelly’s efforts. His interest was perked, he said, when he read on Lance Armstrong’s Twitter that the multiple Tour de France winning cyclist mentioned growing a mustache for Movember. Kelly looked into Movember, ordered a package of promotional materials and campaigned for support. “I’m against cancer, and I’m for mustaches, so it was a winwin,” Kelly said. With Kelly’s encouragement, other ASUSU officers – including President Tyler Tolson, Executive Vice President Spencer Lee and Academic Senate President Ben Croshaw – followed suit by growing mustaches and encouraging other students to participate. Kelly suspects some 60-70 students have grown facial hair to support the cause. Lee said he had never grown facial hair for more than a few days before Movember, and it took around two weeks for anyone
to notice that he hadn’t shaved. “I wasn’t getting any love,” Lee said. Kelly said, “Spencer Lee is the most committed mustachegrower because his is, by far, the ugliest. The sacrifice he’s making is phenomenal.” Without an abundance of facial-hair growth, Lee said he received jabs from ecclesiastical leaders, relatives and acquaintances throughout the month. Facing ridicule, Lee said he would wait until “the bitter end” before shaving to support the cause. “It’s been terrible. I cannot wait for Dec. 1,” Lee said. Lee said he was able to direct a number of people to the Movember Web site and convince a few students to grow mustaches of their own. Tolson said he has gone through a number of varieties of style throughout the month. He began with a “fu manchu,” which he then reduced to merely the “fu” but still didn’t feel confident about. “I still didn’t feel like I could talk to any girls,” Tolson said.
- See HEALTH, page 3
MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF USU show off the mustaches they’ve grown for Movember. Movember is held through the month of November and aims at creating awareness and support for men’s health. CODY GOCHNOUR photo
Inside This Issue
11/30/09 Utah State football sent the seniors out winners by beating the University of Idaho Saturday, 52-49 Page 13
Christmas toys of the past bring back childhood memories. Page 4
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Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Page 2
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Celebs&People NEW YORK (AP) – Much of the prime-time audience lost to NBC when moved into primetime has gone not to its rivals but the digital video recorder. NBC’s audience at that hour is down sharply, as many predicted. CBS is up 6 percent over last sea- LENO son, primarily because it moved the hit series “The Mentalist” into that slot; on three of the five nights, its audience is down. ABC is also down slightly at that hour, and it wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with hits last year, either.
NewsBriefs Smart competency case hearing set
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – For the third time since his arrest in 2003, a court will hold a competency hearing for the man charged in the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart. The 10-day hearing for Brian David Mitchell begins Monday in Utah’s U.S. District Court. U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball will ultimately decide whether the 56-year-old former street preacher is competent to stand trial. It’s unclear how long Kimball will take to issue a ruling. His decision will determine how the case will proceed.
LateNiteHumor Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 – Top 10 Signs You’ve Eaten Too Much On Thanksgiving 10. Decide to take a little nap after Thanksgiving, you wake up in March. 9. You’re mistaken for the Garfield balloon. 8. Dad has to use electric knife to carve you out of your pants. 7. You’re sweating ham glaze. 6. Senators knock on your door, tear up health care bill and say, “You’re on your own, fatso.” 5. You’re in Boston, but your ass is in New Hampshire. 4. You receive personalized “Thank you” note from the president of Butterball. 3. Revenge-seeking turkeys show up on your lawn and try to kill you. 2. GPS units tell local drivers “Turn left at bloated guy.” 1. Even Kirstie Alley’s saying, “Whoa, pace yourself.”
Body of trapped Utah spelunker won’t be recovered SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) – A Utah cave’s narrow crevice that trapped and eventually killed a medical student will become his final resting place, and the dangerous cavern will be permanently sealed. State and county officials said Friday that any effort to recover the body of 26-year-old John Jones from the cramped passage would be too dangerous. Jones, of Stansbury Park, died just before midnight Wednesday – about 28 hours after getting wedged in a tight, unmapped passage with his head at an angle below his feet. Workers had tried feverishly to free him from the shaft about 100 feet below the surface and about 400 feet from the cave’s entrance. Jones was trapped in a vertical shaft about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high within the 1,500-foot Nutty Putty cave, located about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City. A “Herculean effort” to free him was limited by the cramped space, leaving one rescuer chipping away rock with a ball-peen hammer just six inches to swing, said Sgt. Tom Hodgson, coordinator for Utah County’s search and rescue operations. Sheriff Jim Tracy said Jones’ exact cause of death will probably never be known but contributing factors likely included his inverted position for a prolonged period of time
and the cave’s cold temperatures. “If we put other people in that same location, they could get stuck or get hurt,” said Lt. John Valentine, also of the county’s search and rescue. Those who met Friday morning – state officials from the agency that owns the land, the cave’s operators, Jones’ family and law enforcement officials – said they decided unanimously to close the cave as quickly as possible. “We feel like it would be John’s will to protect the safety of future cavers,” his younger brother, Josh, said at a news conference Friday. Hodgson said “we’ve suffered a tragedy in this cave that we hope to prevent from happening again.” The family will be allowed to place a memorial marker at the cave. For the past two years, the St. George native was attending medical school at the University of Virginia, hoping to pursue a career as a pediatric cardiologist. Jones, his wife Emily and their 13-month-old daughter had come home to Utah for the Thanksgiving holiday and to share the news that another baby is expected in June. Family said they knew Jones fought to survive throughout the rescue effort and was commended by rescue crews for “his remarkable good spirits and resilience to the end.”
AN UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEER RESCUER is shown during a rescue effort in Nutty Putty Cave, near Elberta, Utah, Wednesday Nov. 25. John Jones, 26, of Stansbury Park, died Thursday Nov. 26, nearly 28 hours after he became stuck upside-down in Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking site about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City. His death is the first known fatality at the cave, according to the Utah County sheriff’s office. AP photo
Although Jones’ death is the first known fatality since cavers began exploring Nutty Putty’s narrow passageways in the 1960s, rescuers have been called to the cave five times in the last 10 years. The last time was in 2004 when a teenage boy had to be pulled out of an area not far from where Jones got stuck. The cave hosted 5,000 to 10,000 visitors per year until 2006, when it was temporarily closed while managers
implemented a stricter system of access that included a permit system, requirement that cavers be with someone experienced and a locked gate. It reopened in May and had once again become popular, especially among amateur cavers, said Mike Leavitt, who managed access to the cave. Although the cave was popular, it had never been fully mapped. Jones found himself in one of the areas off the cave’s main passage during
an outing with 11 friends and family Tuesday night and was unable to get out. “This particular area is very, very difficult ... where the cave peters out to virtually nothing,” said Valentine, who said he’d been in Nutty Putty some 25 times over the years. Funeral services for Jones are planned for Saturday. Josh Jones said the family is considering a fund to help educate young people on cave safety.
Ski resorts fight global warming; Utah gov unsure SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Ski resorts across the country are using the Thanksgiving weekend to jump start their winter seasons, but with every passing year comes a frightening realization: If global temperatures continue to rise, fewer and fewer resorts will be able to open for the traditional beginning of ski season.
Warmer temperatures at night are making it more difficult to make snow and the snow that falls naturally is melting earlier in the spring. In few places is this a bigger concern than the American West, where skiing is one of the most lucrative segments of the tourism industry and often the only reason many people visit cash-strapped
Angeli VanLaanen performs during a final run of the ladies freestyle World Cup ski halfpipe competition in Park City on Jan. 31. Ski resorts across the country are using the Thanksgiving weekend to jump start their winter seasons, but with every passing year comes a frightening realization: If global temperatures continue to rise, fewer and fewer resorts will be able to open for the traditional beginning of ski season. AP photo
states like Utah during winter. But even as world leaders descend on Copenhagen next month to figure out a way to reduce carbon emissions blamed in global warming, the industry is still grappling with leaders in some of their own ski-crazy states who refuse to concede that humans have any impact on climate change. Chief among them is Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who says he will host what he calls the first “legitimate debate” about man’s role in climate change in the spring. While the world’s leading scientific organizations agree the debate was settled long ago, the former Realtor who took office when Jon Huntsman resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China maintains that it wasn’t. “He’s said to me that the jury is out in his mind whether it’s man-caused and he thinks and believes that the public jury is still out,” said Herbert’s environmental adviser, Democrat Ted Wilson. Herbert’s reluctance to acknowledge that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming quietly frustrates Utah ski resorts that depend on state marketing money, but it openly infuriates industry officials elsewhere who liken it to having a debate about whether the world is flat. “That’s just kind of raging ignorance,” said Auden Schendler, executive director of sustainability for Aspen
(Colo.) Skiing Co. “We’re not environmentalists, we’re business people. We have studied the hell out of the climate science. To have a neighboring governor not believe it ... It’s absurd.” A climate study by the Aspen Global Change Institute is forecasting that if global emissions continue to rise, Aspen will warm 14 degrees by the end of this century, giving it a similar climate to that of Amarillo, Texas. Many ski companies and the mountain towns they’ve created have been working to reduce their carbon footprints and advocating for significant policy changes for years. In California, the ski industry was one of the first groups to support legislation requiring the state to reduce greenhouse gases to 1990 emission levels by 2020. Aspen Skiing Co. is widely recognized as a national leader, but Schendler readily acknowledges that the nation’s ski resorts can do little on their own to affect climate change. He said company resorts like Aspen and Snowmass are at their best when they educate their highly affluent – and politically connected – guests about global warming’s effects. “You need federal legislation in the U.S.,” he said. “You need it to help drive an international agreement.” Herbert and Utah’s senior U.S.
- See WARMING, page 8
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StatesmanCampus News
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Aggies take first place at BYU business competition BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS
Three USU students bested teams from business schools around the country in a competition earlier this month that tested not only their ability to make sound business recommendations but required that they present their solutions in Spanish. A Jon M. Huntsman School of Business Spanishspeaking team took first place in a competition that required the students to prepare recommendations, as if Wal-mart had sought their advice before entering Asia, South America and Europe. They were given two weeks to prepare and then they were expected to present their ideas to a panel of judges. The teams were judged on their knowledge of the case, their presentation and their ability to speak a second language. The BYU Business Language Case Competition, hosted this year on Nov. 14, is an annual event sponsored by the Whitmore Global Management Center in the Marriott School of Management. Chad Albrecht, an assistant professor at the Huntsman School of Business, accompanied the students to the competition but was not allowed to help or coach them in their preparations. “Their Spanish was great,” said Albrecht, who also speaks Spanish. “They were very thorough and professional as they drew on their training in business theory to make their recommendations. I was also impressed with the responses they offered when they were questioned by the judges.” USU was represented by a Spanish and a Portuguese team and competed against business schools from major universities such as the
University of Washington, Purdue University, University of Indiana, Michigan State, University of Texas Austin and Baylor University. “We all started with the same information,” said Brad Carr, a member of the Spanish team. “We tried to find an innovative way to present our conclusions so they would be clear and easy to understand. I think we succeeded.” Members of the Spanish team were Javan Bowles, Rick Williams and Carr. The Portuguese team members were Adam Croshaw, Steve Thompson and David Passey.
MEMBERS OF THE USU SPANISH TEAM at the BYU Business Language Case Competition Nov. 14 took first place. Left to right are team members Rick Williams, Javan Bowles and Brad Carr. photo courtesy of USU MEDIA RELATIONS
Health: USU celebrates Movember -continued from page 1
ERIK WYNN, ASUSU EDUCATION SENATOR, wears a mustache in support of Movember, a globally recognized event that raises support for men’s health. Rick Kelly, ASUSU vice president of graduate studies, became interested in Movember and got USU involved. CODY GOCHNOUR photo
Beyond the sphere of student government, Kelly was able to recruit a member of Latter-day Voices, who in turn suggested the initiative to the remainder of the choir. About three quarters of the 25 males in the choir have grown mustaches, although “you can’t see half of them,” said Nyles Salmond, choir director and institute instructor. “It’s been great, and they’ve had a great time doing it,” Salmond said. “I think it’s a great cause.” Latter-day Voices have had performances during the month of Movember, and although the members of the choir are normally encouraged to be clean shaven, Salmond said they were happy to make the exception this month. Kelly said the visibility of a mustache helps stimulate a conversation about the cause. “If we all shaved our chest hair into weird patterns, nobody would know,” Kelly said. Tolson agreed, saying, “It’s cool because it’s a different way to get the word out.” While it succeeds in generating attention and a few laughs, Kelly feels strongly about what the Movember Foundation is trying to accomplish, and the awareness that it raises about men’s health. “I think it’s funny, but at the same time it’s a serious subject,” Kelly said. “People learn about the effect that testicular and prostate cancer have.” According to the Movember Web site, the foundation has raised $47 million to date, globally, making it the world’s largest men’s charity event. For more information visit www.movember.com. – b.c.wood@aggiemail.usu.edu
PoliceBlotter Saturday, Nov. 21 • USU Police received a report that a vehicle was keyed while it was parked in the Spectrum parking lot during the USU vs. Boise State football game. Police are investigating. • USU Police were dispatched to a parking problem in the parking lot of Aggie Village near Building 22. Police were advised that a dark green Volkswagen Jetta keeps parking in the handicap parking spot and that the car does not have a permit. Police arrived but were unable to find any problems or the car in question. No further action taken. • USU Police received a call from a female who wanted some advise about some unwanted phone calls she had been getting. Police advised her to inform the caller that she does not want further contact and to report back to the police if he does not comply. Monday, Nov. 23 • USU Police responded to the area of 800 East and 1050 North on a suspicious male carrying a young girl in his arms. Due to the call being delayed 10 minutes, the subject could not be found. The complainant did inform the police that the young girl did not look distressed in any way.
• USU Police received a report of criminal mischief at the University Inn over the weekend. The individual or individuals damaged some property and caused some other problems. USU Police are investigating. • USU Police assisted the Parking Office with a disabled vehicle in the Premium Blue parking lot. The vehicle’s front tire assembly had came apart, which made the vehicle not drivable. The owner has been contacted. • USU Police were called to Davis Hall on an odor of marijuana in the building. Police arrived and met with the complainant. Police were unable to locate any odor of marijuana in the building. Tuesday, Nov. 24 • USU Parking reported to USU Police that a car on campus was displaying a fraudulent handicap permit. Police investigated and arrested two individuals for the fraudulent permit. • USU Police responded to the men’s restroom in the Fine Arts Museum on a complaint that the water would not turn off in one of the urinals. Police were able to get the valve to close and the water stopped running.
USU technology Camp Guard is contest finalist BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS
Grow Utah Ventures, Zions Bank, USTAR, Workman Nydegger, Ballard Spahr and CFO Solutions have named USU technology Camp Guard as a finalist in the 2009 Concept to Company contest for outdoor recreation. The Camp Guard, a USU patent pending technology, is a wireless perimeter security system that alerts campers of intruders and animals entering their campsite. “The real value of the product is in child security,” said Glenn Whichard, technology commercialization associate at USU’s Technology Commercialization Office (TCO). “You can easily create a perimeter at the playground, the lake or your campsite and the Camp Guard will alert you when your children wander outside the designated area.” Whichard worked closely with Jim Reese, Camp Guard team leader, and Rick Hughes, chief engineer, to patent the technology. Both Reese and Hughes are retired from USU. David White, president and CEO of Cajun Archery in Logan, is also a member of the Camp Guard commercialization team. The Camp Guard weighs fewer than two pounds, requires no additional setup other than simply turning the machine on and, as it utilizes “passive infrared” sensor transmitters, the device is completely wireless. According to the U.S. Travel Association, camping is the number one outdoor vacation activity in America. One third of U.S. adults say they have gone camping in the past five years. USU’s TCO believes Camp Guard has strong commercialization potential. “We hope to see the product on the market soon,” Whichard said. “Right now we are working on putting the right people together to facilitate the development of this concept; there is room to grow here and we are interested in developing new partnerships.” “We continue to be impressed by the quality and depth of ideas presented by these finalists,” said T. Craig Bott, president and CEO of Grow Utah Ventures. “Each finalist has brought a great concept to the table and we are confident, that like last year, every one of them is capable of a viable business.” Other finalists included concepts for solarpowered water sterilization, innovations in skiing technology and outdoor communication devices. This was the second outdoor recreation Concept to Company contest and the fifth contest of its kind in Utah since the first contest kicked off in July 2008. The competitions are ongoing innovation contests held in various regions across the state of Utah. They were created as a way to encourage entrepreneurism and stimulate business growth in the state. Each competition focuses on a different industry and matches the unique entrepreneurial strength of that particular region. USU’s Technology Commercialization Office assists faculty and staff in understanding the technology transfer process and extracting the fair market value of university intellectual property for the benefit of the university, faculty, staff and community. Visit the TCO Web site, http://tco.usu.edu, for more information and news, or follow it on Twitter at twitter.com/USU_TechCom.
Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 • Officers working the basketball game received a report of a theft from a concession stand by a juvenile wearing a red sweater. The suspect was located and while talking with the suspect and his father it was determined that no theft had occurred. Police discovered that the money thought to have been taken had been move by a concession worker prior to this incident. • Police were dispatched to a fire alarm at Summit Hall. The fire panel identified the source as the hallway of Room 401. Upon arrival, police found the apartment was vacant and a pot of an unidentifiable material in a pan on the stove was filling the room with smoke. Thursday, Nov. 26 • Dispatch informed USU Police that there were skateboarders in the Aggie Terrace. Police arrived and located three individuals skating down the terrace. The individuals were warned about skating on campus. Friday, Nov. 27 • USU Police assisted the Cache County Sheriff’s Office with a juvenile consuming alcohol at First Dam. The juvenile was arrested on several charges and taken to the Cache County Jail. -Compiled by Rachel A. Christensen
Page 3
Briefs Campus & Community
Ceramics Guild hosts holiday sale The USU Ceramics Guild will hold its annual holiday sale Thursday, Dec. 3, through Saturday, Dec. 5. The sale returns to the guild’s home territory – the ceramic studio – in Fine Arts Visual, FAV 123. The sale kicks off Thursday, 59 p.m., and continues Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ceramics students and sale organizers promise multitudes of beautiful, hand-crafted pottery with prices starting at $8. Items include everything from plates, jars and mugs to baking dishes and serving platters. During the sale, cash and check will be accepted. The artists will be on hand to answer any questions about the artwork and to give tours of the facilities to all those interested. Anyone can join the Ceramics Guild members Thursday evening for the opening reception where refreshments will be provided. The reception begins at 5 p.m. at the sale location. For more information, contact the Utah State Ceramics Program at 797-3566 or e-mail Zaharias at michiko.z@aggiemail.usu.edu.
USU student wins Golden Spike Award The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Greater Salt Lake Chapter announced the winners of the fourth annual Utah PR Student of the Year competition at the Golden Spike Awards for communications professionals. Courtney Lewis, a communications major from USU, took first, with Lauren Lytle (Brigham Young University) placing second and Michael Hanks (Utah Valley University) and Brian Grow (Weber State University) tying for third. More than 20 communications students representing five universities across Utah and into Idaho competed for $1,000 cash prize by completing a full PR plan for the 2009 nonprofit client, Utah Food Allergy Network. In October, students submitted a written strategy, including research, objectives, tactics and a timeline for the Utah Food Allergy Network. A panel of PR professionals judged the entries and selected four finalists from four different universities to present their campaign plan at a day-long competition in Salt Lake City, Nov. 14.
USU museum to explore the stars The Museum of Anthropology’s Saturdays at the Museum Series’ next topic is a “Year of Astronomy” Saturday, Dec. 5. This program highlights the scientific influence astronomy has had on ancient societies and the development of calendars and customs. “Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences,” said Allyson Martin, Saturday’s program planner and USU student. “We have all, at one time or another, looked up at the stars and marveled. It is so interesting to learn about how ancient peoples were able to map and predict the stars with such great accuracy and attention to detail.” Activities include how to use a Star Chart and a tour on how cultures, such as the Maya, Stonehenge and Greek philosophers, used astronomy to navigate and build structures. Star charts and constellations will be available for visitors to take home and use for themselves. USU students and members of the public are invited to the museum any time during the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday hours. For more information on this event, call 797-7545.
-Compiled from staff and media reports
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AggieLife Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Page 4
Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com
They still make us smile Students reflect on popular toys while growing up
By KIRSTEN REIMSCHISSEL staff writer
Remember Furbies, slinkies, Ninja Turtles and Pogs? Back when students were kids, these were some cool things to get for Christmas. Times have sure changed. In the ‘90s, the coolest technology consisted of Tamagotchi, Sega Genesis and Game Boy. These things are ancient to kids now. Today, kids are getting things “we couldn’t fathom then,” said Celia Child, senior in public relations, like the iPod Touch, Wii, Guitar Hero and cell phones. Child remembers carrying around her CD player before the iPod existed. These inconvenient battery eaters required lugging around CDs in the car and the airport on family trips. Pagers were another technology Child remembers everyone getting for Christmas. Before class, all the teachers had to remind everyone to turn off their pagers. Many would get in trouble for getting too many beeping calls from their friends. Child said this is different from today where students send thousands of texts that actually say things to their friends and crushes. Even kids in elementary school today have cell phones. Out of all the Christmas presents Child received over the years, her favorite was the animal many children would do anything to get. “I remember when I got a pony, like a real pony,” Child said. “I started with a pony and worked my way up.” She also enjoyed getting jumpers that she would color coordinate with her friends, but a holiday gift she remembers most was not one she received but one she gave. One year during a family trip to San Francisco, she saw many homeless people on the streets and wanted to give money to them. Her family advised against it, saying the homeless would only use it for drugs and alcohol. She made the choice to go buy oranges with
her Christmas money and give them to the homeless. Child said, “That memory stuck with me. I will never forget it.” Lori Taylor, junior in exercise science, also remembers many good memories and fun toys she received when she was a kid. One year for Christmas, she yearned for Power Wheels, and her parents wouldn’t get her it because it was plastic and wouldn’t last long compared to the durable go-carts and other toys they already had. “I didn’t want a to go ride a go-cart. I wanted Power Wheels,” she said. Taylor also recalled other toys she had, like a pink Furby, Polly Pockets and Giga Pet. Three weeks after she got the Giga Pet, the little devices were banned from her classroom so she made her mom feed it at home. Taylor also remembers Britney Spears CDs, bean bags she and her younger sister fought over and presents from grandma. “Notebooks for my birthday and pencils for Christmas. I thought I had enough pencils, but I took them anyway,” Taylor said. Some gifts are better than others. Luckily there was more to the Taylor Christmas than presents. She said, “Most of my Christmas experiences weren’t really centered around gifts. They were around doing things with family.” Taylor and her family would go up the mountain every year to get a Christmas tree. She said it was entertaining getting it “a little not-so-straight” in the living room. Sometimes her and her family had to wrap boxes like presents and put them around the base to make it stand up right. Bradley Cropper, senior in business, also remembers time with his family during Christmas. They read the story of the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, they would line up according to
- See TOYS, page 6
Poetry on menu at True Aggie Cafe By JAIMIE RADCLIFFE staff writer
A light chatter fills the room. The door swings open and close, admitting a cold blast of air with each newcomer. People call greetings to each other. It is a warm environment here at the True Aggie Cafe. A mix of students and community members, young and old, all in comfortable companionship. Everyone is here for a night of literary intellect. The True Aggie Cafe plays host to Helicon West on the second and fourth Thursday of every month. Star Coulbrooke, co-founder of Helicon West, makes her way through the room, welcoming people. Back in 2005, Coulbrooke and fellow co-founder, Michael Sowder, both of USU’s department of English, came up with the idea of creating an open-mic night for writers. “Helicon West is based on an ancient Greek mountain range, Helicon, where the muses lived,” Coulbrooke said. The muses were certainly present. The readings started with featured readers, one of who is Jennifer Sinor, associate professor of English at USU. Sinor has been published in various venues and said she reads her work at events, such as Helicon West. “I encourage my students to come,” Sinor said. “It’s a nice opportunity for them to read their work out loud.” Even though Sinor encourages her students to read their work, she is nervous to read her own work. “But it’s good. It keeps you on the edge of your game,” said Sinor, who shared a creative nonfiction piece that followed the journey of a young girl as she discovered her sexuality. Many students use Helicon West as an opportunity to share their writing with people.
Ellen Reimschussel, senior in creative writing, said she reads her work to get comfortable being in front of people. “I’m looking at being a poet for a career and part of that is reading in public. The more you do it, the better you get.” Reimschussel shared a series of poems with the listeners. “Poetry, in my opinion, is the attempt to speak to the irrational parts of the brain,” she said. “The animalistic core.” First-time reader Steven Moss, sophomore in literary studies, said, “It’s difficult to read something that you took time to write in front of others, as you never know how people will respond to it.” Moss shared a short poem, a metaphor on the growth of a seed. Although tempted to the cafe by extra credit for one of his classes, Moss didn’t seem to mind doing it. “I liked having an audience to share my work with,” Moss said. Helicon West attracts more than just English majors. Ashley Linford, senior in international studies, uses the opportunity Helicon West presents to enhance her skills as a writer. “Having an audience forces me as a writer to recognize the bigger picture of my writing,” she said. Linford read a compelling nature essay that detailed a rock-climbing accident she was in. She felt a bit nervous about sharing her work. “My writing is a self-discovery and sharing that soul on paper with other people is daunting,” she said. The rest of the night consisted of about 20 other writers. Every topic imaginable was read about, from rehab to love, to sex, to discrimination, to one short story that was entirely
- See WRITING, page 6
MICHAEL SOWDER SPEAKS AT Helicon West in the True Aggie Cafe Thursday, Nov. 12. Helicon West is an open-mic night for writers. TYLER LARSON photo
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
AggieLife
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GEISHA POSES AT Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan. photo courtesy TIM RUSSELL
Aggies around the world Japan loves their white rice
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here are a lot of great things about Japan, like talking ATMs, bullet trains and transportation tubes similar to those seen in “Futurama”. There are also a lot of bad things, like that smell you get after you go to the bathroom. Wait, don’t stop reading. Let me explain first. You know when your roommates have to keep the bathroom door closed because you ate too much Betos? Well, it appears Japan didn’t get the memo about white rice. Every meal is rice, rice, rice. I made this
complaint to a friend of mine, and her reply was, “Well, I guess you’re in the wrong country.” And she’s absolutely right. If you want to live in Japan, be prepared for all-you-can-eat rice. Be prepared for your bathroom to have a “unique” smell. Japan uses rice for everything. There are rice cakes, rice wine, rice flour, rice vinegar, rice hot dogs and rice bologna. OK, so I made those last two up but you get the
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- See RICE, page 6
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Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Top 10 ways to survive Finals Week
Answers Answers To Today’s ToAnswers Today’s Crossword To Today’s Crossword Puzzle! Crossword Puzzle!
We’re almost there – one week until finals, with winter vacation just around the corner. Some can’t wait for it to be over and no doubt there are others who wish it would never end. With only one week, it can mean anything from “crunch time” to “live while you can” among students. We at The Statesman thought we might help out by offering some suggestions as to how you might survive the great and terrible week of cataclysmic sleep schedules and comprehensive exams.
ered. You won’t be famous, but it still works.
1 – Win the lottery. With all the money in the world, who needs school, right?
9 – Be sure to attend your SI sessions. Sometimes there’s nothing like a good review with people who know what they’re talking about.
2 – Party hard. There’s no time like the end of the world. 3 – Discover a new debilitating disease and catch it. There’s nothing like a good old escape mechanism. Plus, you’ll be famous. 4 – Eat, drink and be merry, but cram hardcore the night before the test. Let’s hope Blackboard isn’t under maintenance.
Puzzle!
6 – Dedicate your every waking moment to study. Got a date? I’m sure you just forgot, right? 7 – Camp out with your books at USU Marketplace. All you can eat all day long. They even have bathrooms. 8 – Study with a group of people in the same class. Maybe that way you can get some free pizza, too.
10 – Study well, get enough sleep and breathe. I’d say something about eating well, too, but that’s silly. In the end, what works best for you will be as different from the next person as Venezuela’s Heladaría Coromoto has flavors of ice cream. Never give up. You’re better than you think. Face your fears if it kills you. There is life after finals. information gathered by Jason vonGermeten
5 – Catch a debilitating disease that’s already been discov-
Toys: Flashback to popular toys of childhood -continued from page 4 age on the stairs, waiting for his parents to be ready so they could open all their gifts. “I don’t remember a bad present,” Cropper said. “I would get a lot of sports balls so I was always happy with those.” He said one year he woke up to an “awesome” red wagon. He loved it because he and his two brothers would spend time playing with it together. The best Christmas memories for these students at USU don’t only include red wagons, pink Furbies and jumpers but family, giving and tradition. Think about some of your own holiday memories and check how much you remember from these holiday flashback – chizelnews.1@gmail.com
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Rice: Student shares experience living in Japan
She says, ‘Ah, Can I get Your Friend’s phone-continued number? from page 5
Ah, get Can Extra I get Your AreShe you says, sure ‘we Credit Friend’sforphone this?number? Mike Walker Submitted by
Marianne Poulson
Submitted by
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idea. Rice was even used as currency once upon a time. Since living here, I’ve had six recurring nightmares about rice. It’s no laughing matter. In my sleep, I’m running frantically from a heinous rice monster while screaming, “No more, please no more.” After which, I always wake up in a cold sweat. If the phrase “you are what you eat” is to be believed, then I’ve determined why Japanese people act and think the way they do. That’s right scientists, you can toss out years of research, because my high school diploma is telling me rice is the key to unlocking Japan’s cultural and social influences. For example, Japanese people are extremely polite. Why? Because their main diet is rice, which hinders the cerebral cortex’s ability to produce negative thoughts. Again, high school diploma folks, I know what I’m talking about. There’s nothing I miss more about America than rude and angry people. It’s like breathing fresh air. It’s like peanut butter on my jelly. Do you have any idea how frustrating it can be to be surrounded by friendly people all the time? It’s downright depressing. It’s like when you go into Wal-Mart and can’t walk down an aisle because two people having a conversation are blocking the entrance. And you know their conversation isn’t even important: “So Bill, how were the chimichangas last night?” In Japan this would never happen. They don’t
She says, ‘Ah, Can I get Your Friend’s phone number?
even have chimichangas here. First off, I have yet to see monstrous shopping carts. Second, if two Japanese people were blocking the aisle, they would promptly move out of the way. It’s as if they’re always mindful of their surroundings. Lastly, from the time I enter the store until I leave, I’ve probably been greeted by every employee. Would it really be too much to ask for a dirty look every once in a while? Or maybe even some profanity spouted in my face? So to those thinking of traveling to Japan remember, rice is not your friend. Don’t give into peer pressure and consume rice at every meal. Otherwise, you’ll start to notice smells and unhealthy amounts of happiness.
Tim Russell is part of the USU Study Abroad program. Questions or comments can be sent to him at tim.russell@aggiemail.usu.edu
Writing: Reading student work -continued from page 4
TRUE AGGIE CAFE PLAYS host to Helicon West on the second and fourth Thursday of every month. TYLER LARSON photo
about how much someone hated a guy named Bryan. Moss said there is no judgement on the subject of the writing shared. Everything is gladly received and appreciated.
Helicon West is a fantastic, welcoming place for writers to share their work. It is impressive that the founders and committee have created such a comfortable environment. – jaimie.marie.radcliffe@aggiemail.usu.edu
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
AggieLife
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Otter Pops and deep-sea fishing top student’s list Utah Statesman: What is your favorite color? James Merrill: Yellow. US: What is the oldest thing in your refrigerator right now? JM: Two eggs in the drawer on the bottom shelf. US: What is the last movie you saw in a theater? JM: I think it was “2012”.
Caught on Campus James Merrill Idaho Falls, Idaho freshman political science
US: Did you go home for Thanksgiving? JM: No, I went to Las Vegas to see extended family. US: What was the funniest thing you did over the break? JM: I burnt hair off of my brother’s legs while he was sleeping. US: Who is the one person you would miss most if they moved away? JM: I don’t like anyone here. US: What is you least favorite genre of music? JM: Country. US: How many gas stations do you think there are in the United States? JM: That’s so crazy, over a billion for sure. US: Do you believe in aliens? JM: Totally. US: If you had three months left to live, what would you do with your time? JM: I don’t feel like I am creative enough to answer this. Go to New Zealand and climb mountains? US: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? JM: Buy Otter Pops, deep-sea fishing gear and a big yacht in the Caribbean. US: If you were a car, what kind would you be? JM: An old black Nissan Pathfinder with a broken muffler and a ski rack on it. US: What is your best childhood memory? JM: Letting a dog into my elementary school on a Saturday.
US: What kind of people do you dislike? JM: People who try to top your stories.
US: In your opinion, what is the most important part of a sandwich? JM: The bread. It can’t be Wonder Bread because the sandwich is too soft. US: What is your idea of a perfect date? JM: Riding the chairlift with a girl. US: How many close friends do you have? JM: A few. I went to high school with most of them. US: If you were in a small room and left a refrigerator door open, would the temperature of the room fall or would the temperature of the refrigerator rise? JM: I think the fridge would get warmer. US: What makes you angry? JM: People asking me questions. US: Did you go to your high school prom and, if yes, how was it? JM: Yes, it was a last minute thing and it wasn’t the best dance I’ve been to. US: If you could be invisible for one day, where would you go and what would you do? JM: I would go into classes and write spooky and offensive things on the white boards. US: What is your favorite meal of the day, and what would you have to eat? JM: Breakfast and I’d have an omelet with hot sauce. US: Would you rather go on a cruise to the Bahamas, skiing in Colorado or treasure hunting in Utah? JM: A cruise in Colorado, looking for treasure. – danny.lynn.a@aggiemail.usu.edu
More shoppers hit stores, but spend less shoppers went online for their potential purchases. More shoppers also started their expeditions early, with 31 More Americans hit the percent in the doors by 5 a.m., stores during Black Friday and as opposed to 23 percent who the rest of the holiday-shopdid the same last year. “High ping weekend, but they spent unemployment and a focus on less than they did last year, a price caused shoppers to visit retail-trade group said Sunday. stores early in anticipation of The National Retail the best deals,” said Phil Rist, Federation’s survey, conducted executive vice president at over the weekend, found that BIGresearch, which conducted 195 million shoppers visited the survey. stores and Web sites, up from The most popular buys 172 million last year, but the were of clothing and books, at average spent levels similar was about to last year’s, $343, down “While retailers the survey from about said. Almost a are encouraged $373 a year third of shopby the number ago. For the pers bought of Americans weekend, the toys, up 13 total spendwho shopped percent from ing figure is a year ago, over Black Friday an estimated and more peoweekend, they $41.2 billion. ple picked up know they have “While personal care retailers their work cut and beauty are encouritems, as well out for them ... ” aged by the – Tracy Mullin, as gift cards number of and sporting NRF president and goods. Americans who shopped The chief executive over Black retail-trade Friday group also weekend, announced they know they have their Sunday that more Americans work cut out for them to keep will go online to do holiday people coming back through shopping on the Monday after Christmas,” said Tracy Mullin, the Black Friday weekend than NRF president and chief execu- they did last year. tive. “Shoppers can continue to On so-called Cyber expect retailers to focus on low Monday, 96.5 million people prices and bargains through plan to shop, up from 85 milthe end of December.” lion a year ago, the NRF said Almost half of holiday citing a Shop.org survey. Nine shoppers visited at least one in 10 retailers also will have department store over the special deals and promotions weekend, which is up 13 perfor Cyber Monday, the survey cent from last year. About 43 said. percent headed to discount In addition, a majority of retailers and another 8 percent the planned shopping is to be headed to outlets, the NRF done from home, with 14 peradded. More than a fourth of cent done from work. By MARKETWATCH MarketWatch
US: What is the strangest name of a person in your family, and how are they related to you? JM: Gunther, he was my pet katydid.
FRESHMAN JAMES MERRILL SAID the most important part of a sandwich is the bread. DANIELLE ADAMS photo
World&Nation
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Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Tough economic times turning newspaper lenders into owners SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Newspaper headlines have skewered money lenders for dubious decisions that stoked the recession. Now the financiers are starting to headline newspapers in a new way – as the owners. These newspaper novices are taking control through bankruptcy proceedings and giving few clues about their turnaround plans. Their decisions will be crucial because this new age of media ownership is unfolding at a time that could make or break some of the largest publications. Banks and other financial firms have taken over or are angling to take charge at dozens of newspapers, including four of the nation’s 15 largest – the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The new owners face huge problems. Newspaper ad revenue, the industry’s main source of income, is on pace to total around $27
billion this year, about $22 billion less than three years ago. Newspaper circulation is falling faster than ever. Finding solutions – such as mining Web sites for more revenue while newspapers protect what’s left of their print franchises – will likely require a financial commitment that short-term owners might be reluctant to make, says Fitch Ratings analyst Mike Simonton. Lenders that take over a company through bankruptcies typically try to sell their stakes within two to three years. But there’s another way of looking at this transition: The last few years have gone so badly that newspapers need to try something different – and “new blood in the industry” could help, says John Temple, who was publisher of The Rocky Mountain News in Denver when its owner, E.W. Scripps Co., closed it in February. A common theme in newspaper bankruptcies is that publishers took on too much debt to pay for acquisitions in better times. Now the banks
that financed those deals are hoping to recoup at least some of their investments by forgiving or writing off most of the debt – in exchange for controlling stakes in the publications. Instead of trying to engineer a turnaround, the new owners could just close the newspapers and auction off their assets. But Simonton doubts that will happen because newspapers don’t have a lot of valuable inventory like retailers that have been liquidated. Instead, the bleak market conditions make it more likely that some newspapers are bound to be owned, even briefly, by bankers such as JP Morgan Chase & Co. and financial firms such as Angelo, Gordon & Co., which specializes in buying the debt of distressed companies. So-called “loan-to-own” investors such as Angelo, Gordon at least have experience taking over companies. Banks don’t have much, because government regulations say banks aren’t even supposed to own pieces of companies. The
government makes exceptions when banks are exchanging debt for stakes in companies that can’t repay their loans – but the banks have to sell those holdings within five years, unless they get a waiver from regulators. It’s a situation banks don’t want to be in, said Marc Abrams, a New York lawyer who represented newspaper publisher Journal-Register Co. while it was in bankruptcy protection this year. JP Morgan leads a group of banks that now own pieces of the Journal-Register, whose newspapers include the New Haven Register in Connecticut and The Oakland Press in Michigan. “The first question these banks have is: ‘What is my exit strategy?’” Abrams said. As part of that process, the bankers will likely try to figure out whether their newspapers have the right management in place and determine how much more money they’re willing to sink into the industry, Abrams said.
Victims being identified after Russian train wreck; authoritites blame terrorist bomb MOSCOW (AP) – Russians mourned at religious services and soccer stadiums Sunday after a deadly train wreck that authorities blamed on a terrorist bomb. The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church urged the nation not to give in to fear. Relatives identified loved ones killed in the wreck of the express train that authorities say was blown off the tracks by a blast. If confirmed as caused by a bombing, the wreck would be Russia’s deadliest terrorist attack outside the violence-plagued North Caucasus provinces in five years. Television networks took entertainment programs off the air and moments of silence were observed before matches on the final Sunday of the Russian football league. Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the country’s dominant church, led a prayer service for the victims at Christ the Savior Cathedral near the Kremlin. He urged Russians to help authorities and “display firm will for a victory over terror.” “Our people have been challenged. A crime of which any one of us could have been a victim has been committed for effect,” Kirill said in a statement posted on the church’s Web site. “They want to frighten everybody who lives in Russia.” The rear three cars of the Nevsky Express, one of Russia’s fastest trains, derailed on a remote stretch of track late Friday as it sped from Moscow to St. Petersburg, killing some passengers and trapping others in the jumbled wreckage. The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, said Saturday that an explosive device detonated underneath the train, gouging a crater in the railbed and pulling the tail cars off the tracks. Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said at least 25 people were killed and 26 others were unaccounted for, though he indicated some of them may have survived uninjured or never have boarded the train. Health Minister Tatyana Golikova said 85 people remained hospitalized, 21 of them in grave condition, according to Russian news agencies. A Belgian and an Italian were among those hurt. Relatives were identifying victims Sunday at a hospital morgue in Tver, the closest sizable city to the wreck site near the border of the Tver and Novgorod provinces, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Moscow. The state-run railway company Russian Railways said train traffic was fully restored.
INVESTIGATORS AND RESCUE WORKERS are seen amid wreckage and damaged coaches at the site of a train derailment near the town of Uglovka, some 400 km (250 miles) north-west of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Nov. 28. An express train carrying hundreds of passengers from Moscow to St. Petersburg derailed, killing dozens of people and injuring scores of others in what may have been an act of sabotage, Russian officials said. AP photo
There were no credible claims of responsibility or word on a possible motive. Russia has been hit by a number of major terrorist attacks since the 1991 Soviet collapse, most of them linked to the devastating 1990s wars between government forces and separatist rebels in Chechnya and the violence the conflicts have spawned
Feast of the Sacrifice in New Delhi
MUSLIMS OFFER PRAYERS on the festival of Eid al-Adha at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Nov. 28. Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, is celebrated to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim’s faith in being willing to sacrifice his son. AP photo
across the surrounding North Caucasus. Extreme nationalists were blamed in a similar blast that caused a derailment along the same railway line in 2007, injuring 27 passengers. Authorities arrested two suspects in the 2007 train blast and are searching for a third, a former military officer.
Warming: Are local resorts in trouble? -continued from page 2 Senator, Orrin Hatch, recently teamed up to oppose federal cap and trade legislation that many in the ski industry support, saying it could cost jobs in a state that’s heavily dependent on coal for energy. In the posh ski resort town of Park City, a former mining town that played host to the 2002 Winter Olympics, Mayor Dana Williams says some state leaders don’t seem to grasp how important the ski industry is to the state and what a threat global warming is. Tourism is a growing $7 billion a year industry in Utah and the state’s 13 ski resorts are directly responsible for roughly $1 billion of that. Williams says the very future of the city that hosts the Sundance Film Festival each winter is at stake with rising temperatures. A consultant’s report released by the nonprofit community Park City Foundation this fall warned that by 2030 the decrease in snowpack caused by global warming could lead to the loss of more than 1,100 jobs and a $120 million economic loss in that community alone. By 2050, the report says those figures could jump to more than 3,700 lost jobs and a $392 million econom-
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ic loss as fewer and fewer slopes in the area are able to open and lure visitors from around the world. The CEOs of Park City’s three resorts – The Canyons, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort – have teamed up to educate anybody who will listen about how global warming threatens their businesses, with Park City Mountain Resort taking the lead. That resort’s corporate parent, POWDR Corp., owns resorts in and near Las Vegas, Killington, Vt., Lake Tahoe, Calif. and central Oregon. Brent Giles, POWDR Corp.’s director of environmental affairs, says regardless of what anyone believes about global warming, it makes good business sense for everyone to become more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. “All you can do is give them what science you’ve got and show how easy it is to make some of these changes and tell them they’re going to save money,” Giles said. “Why can’t we just do it because it makes sense?”
Views&Opinion
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Page 9
Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com
AboutUs
OurView
Editor in Chief Patrick Oden
A semester in recap
News Editor Rachel A. Christensen
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he Utah Statesman has undergone a few changes this year, both in design and content. Thus far we’ve had a very positive response to those changes and we’d like to say thank you to those who have supported us this year. In that light, we’d like to take a look back over the past few months and recap on some of the stories you, the student body, expressed deep interest in.
Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Greg Boyles Sports Editor
News: Prevalent in the news section this semester was coverage of the 2009 Logan elections. The Statesman took care to ensure students were educated on the various issues discussed by candidates, knew when the candidates’ debates took place and knew about the changes in voting venues. We also went to City Hall election night and talked individually to the politicians, asking questions that directly affected USU students. The Statesman encouraged students to get involved in the local election, then tried to give them the tools to educate themselves and participate. Aggie Life: The clear winner here is the story titled “The Battle Between Faith and Homosexuality”. Through the experiences of two USU students who chose two different paths, this article examined how individuals with homosexual thoughts and preferences coped as active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the two individuals chose to not act upon his homosexuality and continued to follow his faith, while the other individual felt he could not be gay and a member of the LDS community and chose to leave the church. This story also examined the LDS church’s view on the matter. We, at The Statesman, felt this was a great journalistic piece because it approached a sensitive topic from a variety of angles and began an interesting discussion within the community. Sports: While USU’s football team enjoyed its most successful season in years, and the women of USU soccer and basketball both celebrated immense wins over University of Utah, the clear choice here is USU hockey’s pair of wins over Eastern Washington. Eastern had beaten USU in every game dating back to a 3-3 tie in the Eccles Ice Arena four seasons ago. But the Aggies demonstrated that what’s past is merely prologue, beating the Eagles 2-1 on a Thursday before topping them 6-5 in overtime two nights later. Aggressive hockey is back in town. Conclusion: Pick up The Utah Statesman every Monday, Wednesday and Friday next semester and visit us at www.aggietownsquare.com for continued coverage of your campus and community.
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Adieu to USU
here is a line from a song by the rock group Night Ranger I love that simply states, “I was never much good at goodbye.” So true. I have the rather unique disposition of being sentimental while also emotionally detached from the world around me. An argument could be made that this is a pure form of narcissism. It has always been better for me to feel a tinge of loss while leaving town at 4 a.m. then to have a big hugfest as sad Irish ditties play, reminding us that the road we travel might bring us back together again someday. I hate goodbyes. As such, this is my last column. I am scheduled to graduate next week. And while I will not leave Logan until sometime in 2010 – the earlier the better – my bully pulpit will be taken from me Re-Entry Thoughts and given to another old person who will opine on the awkwardness of gaining an education among those who have no idea what a rotary phone is. I am mostly proud of my columns. I mixed in a cynical view of my irrelevant life with what I considered poignant and justified jabs at some of the things that are wrong with my beloved university. I have never understood why people in Utah cannot deal with criticism. Being a contrarian, I have been compelled to purposely insult people just to prove that it not only can happen, but that I cannot be arrested for doing so. Rudeness may be a vice but it is a necessary vice. I am pleased that I got a chance to call out many of the people in power that are inept at their jobs. The main ones among them: the president of this university, the provost, and the dean of HASS – aka, the Three Stooges. Utah State University is a superior educational experience. These three have done their worst to turn this fantastic school into the JetBlue of state colleges. The cutting of services, the poor upkeep of the school, the forced resignations and retirement of key faculty and staff and the dismantling and elimination of classes and majors have lowered morale on this campus to unacceptable depths. If these people cannot sustain the high
Unconventional Wisdom
- See ADIEU, page 10
Tim Olsen
Assistant Sports Editor Graham Terry Copy Editor
Mark Vuong
Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Tyler Larson
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Rejecting principles in the name of progress
he health reform debate has sparked numerous questions about the cost and scope of government involvement in health care. But few members of Congress have bothered to ask what the Constitution has to say on the topic – even though they are sworn to uphold the principles articulated in that document. One reporter dared to ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Oct. 22 where the Constitution grants Congress authority to require individuals to buy health insurance. An obviously annoyed Speaker Pelosi replied: “Are you serious? Are you serious?” It is a very serious matter indeed. The speaker’s vexed response reveals the extent to which many of America’s intellectual, cultural and political elites have blithely abandoned the principles of America’s founding. They see these principles as outdated if not outright defective, with little or no relevance to modern governance. How – and why – did this come to be? It all began 100 years ago as an intellectual project involving mostly of academics and writers. It evolved into a popular reform effort under the banner of “progressivism.” Today, it’s the foundation of modern liberalism. It’s important to understand how deeply the progressive movement has transformed our politics and society – and where, if left unchecked, it will take us. Progressive thinkers sought to “refound” America according to ideas alien to Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton and Madison. Repudiating the Founders’ belief in the existence of self-evident truths, Progressives asserted that there are no truths, only relative values. Similarly, they claimed, man enjoys no permanent rights endowed by God, only changing rights held at the indulgence of government. Thus, lacking eternal truths and rights, Americans must be governed by a “living” Constitution, one that endlessly “evolves” and “grows” with the times. The Progressive Movement – first under a Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, and then a Democratic one, Woodrow Wilson – set forth the platform of modern American liberalism: Progress means a form of government able to engineer a better society, assuring equal outcomes and redistributing wealth. A distant, patronizing welfare state regulates more and more of our economy, politics and society. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society were grand steps toward achiev-
ing the progressive platform. Today we see a new, more aggressive move in this direction. Progressives insist that the modern world is so complex and problematic, an activist government is required to manage political life and human affairs. This new liberalism seeks to transform America’s constitutional structure of limited government into an increasingly powerful, centralized government focused on social reform. The rise of the modern administrative state, the growth of bureaucracy at every level and the host of benefits the public has come to expect from government all undercut and pervert the American idea of self- government. The result: America is moving ever further away from the nation’s original principles and constitutional design. No, progressive ideas have not completely won the day. And in important ways, the progressive liberals have had to adapt to realities defined by the American political tradition. Even so, the dominance of progressive arguments – in our schools and in the public square, as well as in our politics – has significantly weakened the very foundations of American constitutionalism and limited government. That, of course, makes it all the more necessary to defend and recover the ideas of the Founders. To flourish in the 21st century, America doesn’t need to redefine or remake itself by rejecting its core principles and in favor of more stylish beliefs. Rather what’s needed is a great renewal of the foundational principles that are the true roots of American greatness. We must look to the principles of the American founding. They provide our philosophical grounding, practical wisdom and limitless spirit of self-government and independence. This isn’t merely a matter of historical curiosity. In a world of moral confusion, of arbitrary and unlimited government, the founding is our best access to permanent truths. It’s our best ground from which to repulse the whole progressive project to remake America. So yes, Mrs. Pelosi, we’re serious. Matthew Spalding, the author of this column, is director of the Kenneth B. Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation and the author of “We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future.”
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Karlie Brand
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Views&Opinion
Page 10
Introducing you to ASUSU Executive Vice President Spencer Lee
H
ello Aggies. My name is Spencer Lee, and I am your ASUSU executive vice president. I’m from right here in Logan and have been an Aggie fan my whole life. Although I am in my junior year, I only became a True Aggie this semester. I had wanted to wait to become a True Aggie with a girl who I really liked so I had turned down several invitations in previous years. I’m glad I waited. Kind of sappy, I know. I am working toward majors in history and literary studies, with minors in Spanish and political science. So far I love every minute of it. Some of my future goals are to be an immigration lawyer and have a family. As executive vice president, I ran on a platform of being more open to student input and opinion and trying to help students out with their needs and concerns. I also promised to work with the Utah Legislature to keep USU from further budget cuts. I have tried to do my best to carry out those promises and have continued to work toward those goals. After being in my position for all of three days last spring, several students came to me concerned that the Nelson Fieldhouse was going to be closed during the summer. I went to work and thanks to the willingness of Campus Recreation to help us
SPENCER LEE out, we were able to keep it open. About two weeks ago, I watched as a USU police officer came and took a total of five bikes, put them in a truck and drove off. They were indeed parked illegally but there was no way for the students to know that. I stuck around for as long as I could to notify the students as they returned how they could get their bikes back. Since then I have been working on some ASUSU legislation to have signs put up in those places where bikes are most commonly parked illegally. Since the beginning of the school year, I have been working closely with the Government Relations Council that I chair to see to it that we are prepared and ready for the state legislative session. This
year we could face, as a state, a 5-7 percent deficit in revenues. This would mean another big fight for saving higher education. We have students working on commercials. We have more than 15 student lobbyists taking a class right now to be ready to lobby in the spring, and we had an extremely successful Civic Awareness Week in October. There are too many people to thank for the help and wisdom to achieve what we are achieving. Hopefully with the help of all students we can rally to save USU from further budget cuts. I’ll keep doing my best and if there’s something you want me to do better, come talk to me in TSC 338 or e-mail me at spencer.lee@aggiemail. usu.edu.
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Adieu: Parting wisdom for all Aggies -continued from page 9
standards that this university should embody, then they should all resign in disgrace. One regret I have is that I did not take the time to address our sports teams more than I did. I want every one of our teams to win. I also want every one of our teams to set standards of sportsmanship and to never back down from a challenge. I do not see that with the most prolific of our teams: men’s basketball. While we revel in beating teams like Idaho State and Southern Utah, the reality is these teams should get killed on the court. They are not any good and almost never are. We really do not accomplish anything except beating weaklings. That does not make us a winner; it makes us a bully. Good teams will schedule us at their place. Stew Morrill should not worry about his 20-win cash bonus and schedule tougher games. Do not give me the argument that Stew will only schedule home and home series. No one wants to come to Logan. They are not scared to come here; they just don’t want to. Perhaps if we scheduled better teams on the road we could make the NCAA tournament as a higher seeded team and have the chance to make it to the second weekend, which we have never done under Stew. My fellow Aggies who worship Stew as some Americans do Barack Obama – the comparison is just – should be ashamed to chant slogans at teams who should lose by 30 points. You should be embarrassed with yourselves. If any advice I have given you should be remembered, it is that the college experience is not only relatively easy, but that we should embrace the intellectual snobbery that comes with it. Writing essays and studying for tests on some French writer you abhor is really not that tough. Digging ditches is tough. Making cheeseburgers at noon on a Monday in a fast-food restaurant is arduous and exhausting. Working in the children’s department of a megastore is beyond my comprehension of tolerance. Every single one of you, despite whatever personal calamities are presently befalling
you, is privileged to be a college student. Own it. If any of you care, I like English majors quite a bit. I picked on them in this column because they are very self-aware and have a great sense of humor. I also, in spite of my reputation, like Mormons. What I do not like is when some Mormons think that because their great-grandfather planted the first alfalfa field in Cache Valley, they somehow have a Gold Club membership to make the laws of this state suited to their religious ideology. That is called a theocracy. Iran has one. I would like to think Utah is better than Iran. One wonderful thing about the Mormons is that they know how to say goodbye. They have embraced the beautiful hymn “God be With You Until We Meet Again” and made it their own. Given some of my abrasive comments in this and other columns, most of you probably would rather me hear from Motley Crue, who once sung, “Don’t go away mad, just go away.” Regardless of the method in which we part, or whether you are very pleased to see me go, allow me to say that writing this column has been a great joy to me. And I want to thank all of you for putting up with me these past few months. One final thought I will leave you with. It is the most true and sincere thing I have ever wrote to you in this column. I am proud to be an Aggie. And I will be an Aggie until the day I die.
Harry Caines, from Philadelphia, is graduating USU with a degree in interdisciplinary studies this semester. Parting thoughts for Harry can be shared at www.aggietownsquare.com.
www.a-bay-usu.com
ClassifiedAds
Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com
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Large Bedroom apartment. Will have a roomate but you will have your own private room. Total payment of $1633 is the total housing fee you pay to the University which includes all utilities, internet, cable, and most amenities. There is a laundry-mat on site with hook-ups available in apartment. It is a nice apartment, on campus (only a 10 minute walk), and near both Aggie Shuttle and CVTS bus stops. The building, as well as those surrounding it, are made up of mostly
first or second year graduate students and juniors/seniors in undergrad. Email Kerry if you are interested in buying the Spring contract or in seeing the apartment or with any questions! For a video tour you can go to housing.usu.edu and click on housing options then Aggie Village. Aggie Village Large Private Bedroom Spring Contract: Female Selling my spring contract for a Large Private Bedroom in
the single student housing of Aggie Village. Total housing fee for the semester (move in anytime in Dec and move out end of finals week in May) is $1633 which is roughly $400 a month. This fee includes all utilities. Apartment is located on bus stops for Aggie Shuttle and CVTD, is a 10 minute walk from campus. Apartment is fully furnished, with a storage room on back patio, is a nice place to live if you are a USU student looking for a convenient living situation. Please
Jump to it! Get up!
email me with questions or if interested in seeing the apartment. Also, check out housing.usu.edu to see a virtual tour of apartment. Contract(s) for sale Spring contract for sale at Bridgerland Apartments. Close to campus, wireless internet. Shared bedroom and roommate is moving out also so there are two contracts available if wanted. $825 utilities not included. Call or text for questions(801)928-8931 or (801)628-5282. Or email at m10christensen@gmail.com On Campus Housing Contract for Sale Spring semester contract that can be bought by a male or female. Can move in anywhere on campus. If preferred, male can buy contract and move into my current room in Snow Hall. Need to sell before end of semester. Please call or email me if interested. Phone: 435-201-2387, email: kevin.russell@aggiemail.usu.edu Female Contract for sale D’s Bridgerland, female, shared room, contract for sale. $850 for spring semester + utilities and a $150 deposit. Comes with free internet and is already furnished. Roommates are amazing! Give me a call 801-420-8406. Ask for Kylee. I’m also willing to negotiate. Awesome Townhouse Apartment contract(s) Great apartment contracts for sale! Two contracts for sale for a female shared room. This is especially great for two friends that want to room together for spring semester. Contracts can also be sold individually. Located at Cambridge Court Apartments. Townhouse style apartments at a great location close to campus! Includes indoor swimming pool and hot tub, gym, social center/rec room which has a big screen TV, game room with foosball, computers, and a kitchen. Apartment is fully furnished and includes free heat and WIFI. Very social atmosphere and everyone has a complete blast! Great roommates! Cost is $1163 for the whole semester, but willing to negotiate. Call Jessica at: (435)764-1806 or Shauntelle at: (435) 764-8714 email: Jessica.k.shaw@aggiemail.usu.edu
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Old Farm Apt. for sale This apartment is located right below the Stadium. It is on the new side (west of the old side) and it’s by a stream and lots of trees. There is a bus stop at the top that is the last stop up to campus. My roommates are very nice. All but one of my roommates have been my best friends for years. The other one is very nice. We have cable, internet, a laundry and mail room in the lounge close by. It is a shared room with a best friend of mine. My roommates love partying but are also very studious and kind. The LDS ward is my favorite ward I have ever had. Neighbors are very nice and social. The boys are so helpful to repair any damage. They’re awesome. Girl’s Apartment Contract for Rent I am getting married, otherwise I would stay because it is a great apartment with wonderful roommates! 650$. D’s Bridgerland. Close to campus and a bus stop.
Page 11 Pearls Before Swine • Pastis
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
TimeOut A collection of student-produced & syndicated comics, puzzles, fun stuff ... and more FREE classified ads!.
Brevity
Reallity check
Loose Parts • Blazek
F-Minus • Carillo
Scootah Steve • Steve Weller
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Out on a Limb • Kopervas
It’s All About You • Murphy
&REE #LASSIFIED ADS FOR 535 3TUDENTS #HECK OUT WHATŽS THERE AT WWW AGGIETOWNSQUARE 0LACE YOUR OWN AD )TŽS EASY "E A PART OF THE !GGIE4OWN3QUARE COMMUNITY Legacy Apartment Female Contract Legacy Apt. $900 Spring Semester. Available December 17, 2009. Furnished apartment. Large, private room with two closets, dresser, built in desk, bed and mattress. Two great roommates. Coin-op laundry. Pineview Contract- Female Spring Semester- Available Dec 1! Move in December for FREE! $1159 for the entire Spring Semester in Pineview Apts. Utilities are always cheap and heat is free! Close to campus (1/2 block). Call right away, please, MUST SELL. 8015401938 or natashabodily@gmail. com. Don’t miss out on this great deal. It’s just across the street from 8th East, Stadium, South Campus, and Campus Loop buses. Apartment in Cambridge Court $265/ month I’m selling my contract to my apartment in Cambridge Court, which is at 590 Canyon Road. It’s fun! There is a pool, hot tub, sun lounge, social center, computer center, and work at area. It’s the perfect off campus apartment! Great
roommates, and an awesome environment. Call if interested! Nate- (801) 391-3934 or email “southwickna@ gmail.com� Appliances Appliances Whirlpool Side-by-Side Refrigerator Practically new refrigerator (only 1 year old) with ice-maker only $650. Model number: ED5CHQXTQ00. Moving and must sell. Call Terry at (435) 363-6215. Washing-machine; Dryer; Dishwasher (portable); Microwave; Vacuum cleaner; TV. $350. Autos for Sale Autos 1994 Chevy Corisica ($800 OBO) Runs good, auto transmission, auto door locks/windows, CD player, cruise control, maroon interior and exterior. Trunk is accessible from back seat. 154,000 miles. We are asking $800 or best offer. For more information please call Chika at 801-513-8141, or Dave at 801-628-2842. For Sale 2001 Saturn SC2
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Business OpportunitiesOpps Business Federal Alarms Inc. Seeking high quality summer sales manager for Alarm Industry. Looking for 1-2 Sales Managers. Will be very well compensated. Summer Sales Experience Required. Must be outgoing, positive, energetic, organized, multi task & oversee several salesmen. if interested please contact: Brian @ 435512-6539 Furniture Furniture FREE Futon- Black metal futon frame with mattress in Logan area. Comes with two mattress covers, one denim with tear, and one heavy blue & white striped. Free - just come pick it up. 435-760-5490
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Help Wanted
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Legal Services- Jacobs is seeking qualified design/build firms. Jacobs is seeking qualified design/build firms interested in participating in Amtrak’s nationwide projects funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) economic-stimulus package. Capital grants have been awarded to construct, renovate, repair and/or upgrade properties for Amtrak and other railroad owners throughout the United States. The Design/Builder will be responsible for completing the design requirements (typically at 30% or more) and self performing and/or subcontracting the work
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Today’s Issue
Page 12
StatesmanBack Burner
Monday
Nov. 30 -Festival of Trees, TSC, 1 p.m.
Today is Monday, Nov. 30, 2009. Today’s issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for Kyle Robertson, international business senior, from Brigham City, Utah.
Almanac Today in History: In 1886, Folies Bergère in Paris introduces an elaborate revue featuring women in sensational costumes. The highly popular “Place aux Jeunes” established the Folies as the premier nightspot in Paris. In the 1890s, the Folies followed the Parisian taste for striptease and quickly gained a reputation for its spectacular nude shows.
Weather Tuesday’s Weather High: 44° Low: 19° Sunny
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Wednesday
Dec. 2
-Men’s basketball vs. BYU, 7 p.m. -The Forgotten Carols, Kent Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Student deadlines You need to know....
Brain Waves • B. Streeter
The Registrar’s Office would like to remind everyone of the following dates: tuition and fee payments due on Dec. 11 by mail, Dec. 18 in person, Jan. 6, Jan. 15; Registration Purge on Dec. 19-20, Jan. 7. First day of spring classes in Jan. 11 and the last day to add without and instructor’s signature is Jan. 15.
The IWA Christmas Fireside will be held Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Institute East Chapel. Please wear Sunday dress and join us to begin your Christmas season. Religion in Life will be held Dec. 4 at 11:30 a.m. in the Cultural Hall. Religion in Life class will be held Dec. 4 at 11:30 a.m. in the Cultural Hall. The Winter Gift Market is Cache Valley’s premier artisan gift market for the holidays from Love to write poetry? Check us your friends at the Cache Valley out http://utahpoets.com for the Gardeners’ Market. This will be Utah State Poetry Society’s 2010 held Dec. 4 from 6-9 p.m. and annual contest rules. This year Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 16 categories are open to nonthe Bullen Center. Free admission. members for more than $1,100 One of a kind gifts. Visit www.garin prizes. Deadline for entries is denersmarket.org for more info. Feb. 1. Peace Vigils are held every Friday from 5-6 p.m. at 50 N. Main Street, Logan, in front of the The faculty and staff of USU is LDS Tabernacle. Questions, e-mail invited to an innovative fullinfo@loganpeace.org or call 755body workout using Stability 5137. Balls. Strengthen your core and On Dec. 4 Cafe Ibis will be increase your balance while hosting a Downtown Gallery having fun. This class improves Walk featuring the stained your fitness level and adds some glass art of Classy Glass and Co. variety to your workout. Dec. Opening reception with light 7-18 MWF, from 12-1 p.m. in refreshments and live music from HPER 215. The $15 fee includes 6-9 p.m. a Be Well gym bag or T-shirt.
Poetry Society
Stability balls
Moderately Confused • Stahler
Ecology lectures
The USU Ecology Center will be hosting two lectures by Dr. Mark Lomolino. The first will be held Dec. 2 from 6-7 p.m. in NR 105. The second will be held Dec. 3 from 3-4 p.m. with refreshments served at 2:45 p.m. in ENGR 101. They are open to the public and free.
Christmas concert
Logan Institute’s annual Christmas Choir Concert will be Dec. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. at Mountain Crest High School. Tickets are $2 or $10 a family and can be purchased at the Institute Bookstore.
More FYI listings, Interactive Calendar and Comics at www.aggietownsquare.com
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Page 13
MondaySports Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com
Aggies stomp Southern Utah By TIM OLSEN sports editor
Returning from the Thanksgiving break, Utah State (3-2) shook off a sluggish first half and exploded to roll over in-state foe Southern Utah Saturday, 89-49. Freshman Preston Medlin had his best game as an Aggie and junior Pooh Williams continued his strong play as the two matched each other with a game-high 17 points. Things did not start out great for USU, though, as the visiting Thunderbirds used a zone defense to slow down the Aggie offense and force jump shots. The stingy defense shut down the powerful inside duo
first half – the Thunderbirds held a 6-2 advantage in that category at the break – but they were struggling to rebound, period. USU has won the rebounding battle in every game its played this year, but was down 19-11 in that category at the half. “For whatever reason, we were not as geared up as we should have been in the first half, and I was concerned about that all day today,” Morrill said. “The second half we obviously got it going and played much better.” Much better would be putting it mildly. The Aggies opened the second half with a 18-0 run that turned a game that had been close into a blowout. That run was
POOH WILLIAMS DS UP on a Southern Utah player. Williams tied for the gamehigh with 17 points. Freshman Preston Medlin was the other Aggie to score 17 on the T-Birds. PATRICK ODEN photo
of Tai Wesley and Nate Bendall in the first half, holding the pair to a combined three shots and eight points. “Two totally different halves on our part,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said. “I thought Southern Utah had a good idea to come out and zone us and see how we handled it, and we didn’t handle it very well. We missed a lot of shots and didn’t get any offensive rebounds.” In fact, not only were the Aggies struggling to get any offensive rebounds in the
anchored by a revived defensive effort that shut down the T-bird shooters and held SUU scoreless for nearly seven minutes. USU’s run started with a return to its post game as Wesley, Bendall and junior Matt Formisano all scored inside. Formisano punctuated the run with a steal and coast-to-coast layup before SUU’s Scott Friel finally broke the drought on a pick-and-roll layup. “The big thing at halftime was defense
and rebounding, that’s really what this team is about,” Williams said. “If we play defense and rebound our offense will take care of itself and everybody on the team. We know that. That’s what got us that run.” In only his third game back from foot surgery, Williams played a season-high 23 minutes and connected on 6-of-7 field goal attempts, including going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Despite his hot shooting the best thing about Williams is his ability to drive and create shots for others, Morrill said, not to mention his ability to be a lockdown defender. Morrill also said he was happy to see Medlin connect on some shots after playing timidly during the Aggies’ first few games. “It was encouraging to see a freshman like Preston Medlin check in and make some shots. He had no prep for Southern Utah. He was on the scout squad,” Morrill said. “One thing he can do is shoot the ball, and we checked him in and made some shots and that certainly helped us.” Medlin missed his first attempt, but finished 5-of-8 from the floor with all five being 3-pointers. “I know that I can shoot the ball and that if I keep shooting, it will go in,” Medlin said. “I try to carry that over from game to game and keep shooting and keep my confidence up.” For the second straight game, the Aggies kept their turnovers in single digits, as they only gave the ball away seven times. USU also had the most assists it’s had this season as the Ags finished the game with 26 dishes. The 40-point margin of victory is the largest for the Aggies so far this season, and comes after a 33-point victory against Idaho State (77-44) Tuesday. Against the Bengals, Wesley, who tallied 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, led the Aggies. USU now must prepare for what could be its toughest home stand of the season as undefeated rival BYU makes its first trip
- See STOMP, page 16
Ending on the right note “A wild ride.” That’s what Utah State head football coach Gary Andersen called Saturday’s game after the Aggies’ (4-8) thrilling 52-49 victory over the Idaho Vandals (7-5). The win gave the Aggies three conference wins for the second consecutive year and was their first road win since 2007. The four wins were also USU’s most in seven years. Robert Turbin led the Aggies as the sophomore phenom scored five touchdowns as the Aggies battled back for the win. He rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries and had 70 receiving yards and two touchdowns on two catches. Junior quarterback Diondre Borel also had a huge day for the Aggies, as he completed 18-of-29 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns to go along with no interceptions. With his big day, Borel moved into the No. 1 spot in USU history for total offense in a single season. USU started the game against the Vandals very well, as the Aggies used big plays and stingy defense to jump ahead of the home
team 31-7. Borel hit wide receiver Xavier Bowman for an 85-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter – a season long – then connected with Turbin for a 48-yard strike to put the Aggies up 21-7 at the end of the opening period. Turbin scored again on a 22-yard pass early in the second quarter, and Chris Ulinski connected on a 48yard field goal to end a 24point Aggie run that put the Aggies up by that margin with 8:43 remaining in the first half. The Vandals absorbed the blow, however, and came roaring all the way back. Led by junior quarterback Nate Enderle, the home team scored four straight touchdowns on four straight possessions – two to end the first half and two to open the second – as they stormed back to take their first lead of the game, 35-31, with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. “The bottom line, they got back into the football game with our inability to get pressure on the quarterback,” said Andersen in a postgame radio interview. Enderle finished the game with 262 yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-25 passing before leaving early in the fourth quarter with an injury.
DIONDRE BOREL RUNS THE option against Boise State earlier this year against Boise State in Romney Stadium. Borel and the USU football team closed out their season with a win over Idaho on Saturday. PATRICK ODEN photo
Despite giving up the big lead – something the Aggies have become all too familiar with this season after holding fourth quarter leads in three of their five WAC losses – USU did not give up. “This win was unbelievable, and I think once again it goes back to the toughness our kids have,” Andersen said. “You can cave in (during) a football game like that very easily mentally, and if you cave in mentally, you’ve absolutely got no shot.”
Following the lead change, the Aggies – in what may become a defining moment for this young team – marched right down the field where Turbin punched it in for his second rushing touchdown of the game. After battling back from so far down, the Vandals, who had only lost one home game all season weren’t about to let this one slip away. Backup quarterback Brian Reader connected with Maurice Shaw for Shaw’s
Former Aggies earn recognition in Canada BY USU ATHLETICS
GAME 12: USU 52, IDAHO 49
By TIM OLSEN sports editor
TouchBase
second TD reception to put the home team back up, 4238, with 9:41 remaining. Shaw and fellow wideout Max Komar had their way with the Aggie secondary much of the day as the pair combined for four touchdowns and finished with 131 yards and 110 yards receiving, respectively. “That was an old fashioned WAC shootout that reminds me of games I used to watch when I was about 8 or 9 years old, growing up watching the WAC,” Andersen said. Following Shaw’s touchdown, the big play struck again for the Aggies. Sophomore receiver Stanley Morrison took a screen pass from Borel, weaved through traffic and then outran the remainder of the Vandal defense 75 yards to the end zone. “Stanley’s got legit speed in this league, there’s no question. As soon as he caught it Kevin McGiven said, ‘That’s it, they’re not going to catch him,’ and I saw all those guys had angles and I was like Kevin, you’re dreaming babe,” Andersen said. “But he outran them all, and it really wasn’t even close at the end.” On the Vandals ensuing possession, the Aggies
- See NOTE, page 16
Two former Utah State football players earned the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the Canadian Football League, and the two will square off in Sunday’s Grey Cup game. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo of the Montreal Alouettes will face defensive end John Chick and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Calvillo earned the CFL’s Offensive Player of the Year honor while Chick was named the Defensive Player of the Year. It was the second-straight season for Calvillo to earn the Offensive Player of the Year award and the third time in his 16-year career to collect the honor. It was Chick’s first honor in his three-year career. Calvillo posted a banner season, completing a stellar 72 percent of his passes in helping lead Montreal to a CFL-best 15-3 record. His passing completion average was a career-best. Calvillo also posted a league-high 108.4 quarterback rating and he also threw just six interceptions in 550 pass attempts, the fewest picks given up by a CFL starter. Calvillo anchored an Alouette offense that led the CFL in scoring (33.3 ppg), passing (288.4 yards), touchdowns (50) and passing TDs (33). During the regular season Chick recorded 11 sacks and forced four fumbles. He had 32 defensive tackles, including five tackles for a loss, five pass break-ups and four forced fumbles, as well as two special teams’ tackles. The 97th Grey Cup game, from Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, kicks off at 4:30 p.m. (MT) on Sunday, November 29. Check local listings for broadcast information. Fans in the U.S. can also see the game live on ESPN360. com. An archived version of the game will be available for a fee of $3.95 U.S. to fans outside of Canada at www.CFL.ca, 72 hours after
USU’s fall class called the best in the WAC BY USU ATHLETICS
Utah State’s fall recruiting class for men’s basketball has been tabbed as the best in the Western Athletic Conference according to ESPN.com, it was recently announced. The results are based solely on high school players. Utah State announced three players during the early signing period including a pair of prep stars in Ben Clifford and James Walker. USU also signed one junior college player in Brockeith Pane. Clifford is a 6-8, 215pound senior forward at Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah, and Walker is a 6-2, 180pound senior guard at Los Alamitos High School.
Page 14
SpecialFeatures
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
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Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Comradery got McKenna to USU By DAN FAWSON staff writer
Camaraderie and togetherness are widely recognized aspects of team sports long valued by football, basketball and baseball players alike. Probably not with runners, though, right? Cross country running so often seems to evoke more of an individual struggle. Not for Brian McKenna. In fact, according to the Utah State sophomore, camaraderie is not only one of the reasons he initially embraced distance running, but was also the determining factor in his
zling sophomore campaign, McKenna not only helped lead the men’s cross country team to its fifth-straight Western Athletic Conference championship, but also earned the right to compete in the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championship held in Terre Haute, Ind., Nov. 23. “I was really excited, because I was going to race with some of the best athletes in the country,” McKenna said. “There were so many good runners. Going up against that type of competition was really a treat for me.” Comprised of 250 of the top cross country runners in
USU DISTANCE RUNNER BRIAN McKenna dashes along the trail, another win in his sights. McKenna recently placed 69th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championship. Now McKenna is readying himself for the indoor track and field season. CHRISTIAN HATHAWAY photo
choice to run for the Aggies. “I actually had a good friend I started racing with in junior high,” McKenna said. “He was a major influence on me (and) just showed me how much joy and satisfaction you could have from just working hard and getting better every race. That’s really what got me into it, and just the camaraderie between athletes.” The opportunity to build such running-based friendships eventually brought the former Viewmont High state champion to Logan. “The biggest thing that got me into the program was I came up here and felt camaraderie,” McKenna said of his initial impressions of USU. “I felt that the guys (were) really tight-knit, that they were interested in what everyone on the team has to offer.” McKenna remembers quite a different feeling when visiting other schools. “I don’t want to name any names,” McKenna said of other programs, “but it was a cold experience. Utah State focuses on academics. I feel like I’m involved in what the team does, and the direction we take for setting goals, and even dayto-day workouts.” Such an emphasis on team values and togetherness is something McKenna hopes to impress upon all Aggie runners. “That’s really what I’ve been trying to continue with the new guys,” he said. “Utah State is unique in that it really tries to reach the potential of everyone. We can build a program and not leave anybody behind.” During this past cross country season, McKenna found the team success he loves, and turned quite a few heads with his individual accomplishments, as well. In a daz-
the nation, McKenna came in 69th overall, finishing the 10k race in 30:36.8. McKenna was pleased with his performance. “I believe I earned my place,” he said. “I really had my fastest race of the year and caught as many runners as I could beat that last couple miles.” The experience, while aweinspiring, left McKenna eager to improve and return to the national championships next season. He hopes, however, to bring a few more travel partners with him next time. “My hope is that I continue to improve every year,” McKenna said. “I definitely want to go again next year, and if it’s possible to go with the team – (having) my fellow Aggies alongside – that’d be great.” With the cross country season officially behind him, and indoor track and field fast approaching in the spring, McKenna has set a few goals he hopes will carry him to one of his few sought after individual honors. “Obviously the pinnacle for any athlete is to become All-American, and I hope to do that,” McKenna said. “If not next year, the year after – maybe both years. Cross country is definitely my best chance. It’s a year away from me, so right now my goal is to take down my time (by) probably a minute in the 10k, and see where that puts me for outdoor, and then go from there.” McKenna ran in the 3000m and 5000m events last indoor season, and plans to do so again come spring. The 5000m race is the longest in the indoor season, which is fine by McKenna. “The longer the distance the better,” he said. – majerusforpresident@ yahoo.com
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Lady Aggies bounce back By TYLER HUSKINSON staff writer
The Aggies (3-1) bounced back from a disappointing road loss, defeating the Montana Western University Bulldogs (4-6) 71-34 in convincing fashion at the Spectrum Saturday afternoon. The Aggies scored first on a 3-point shot by junior forward Amber White and led the rest of the game. White bounced back from a poor shooting performance against the San Francisco Dons scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the 3point line. Aggie redshirt freshman center Banna Diop had a breakout performance scoring a career-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, with 11 of her points coming in the second half. Diop also swatted three of the four Aggie blocks on the night. “Banna has been putting together three or four practices in a row, just good quality basketball, just being the player that we know she can be,” Aggie head coach Raegan Pebley said. “I was really, really thrilled to see her be able to benefit from her hard work in a game.” The Aggies shot 60 percent from the field and a blistering 83.3 percent from the 3-point line. The Aggie bench matched the Bulldogs’ total points in the first half with 17. Junior guard LaCale PringleBuchanan scored seven points and junior forward Stacey Howard pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. Senior Aggie guard TaHara Williams started in place of freshman T.J. Goddard. Goddard scored two points in 13 minutes of action. Freshman forward Devyn Christensen recorded her first collegiate points hitting a 3-point shot in 10 minutes of action. Every Aggie player saw at least 10 minutes of action and at one point almost all the Aggie freshmen were on the floor at once. “There was a point in the game where we had four freshmen on the floor, and I thought we did really well,” Pebley said. “Overall, I thought they were ready when called upon.” The Aggies were stingy on defense and only allowed the Bulldogs to shoot 27.8 percent from the field and 20 percent from the 3-point line. The Aggies limited the Bulldogs to 17 points in both halves. No Bulldog scored double digits but center Laura Geis led Montana Western with eight points. The Ags travel down south next, to compete in the Arizona State University Classic along with Pepperdine, Idaho State and Arizona State. Utah State will face the Pepperdine University Waves (3-3) first from the West Coast Conference. The Waves have recorded 20-win seasons at least six times and have been to
FRESHMAN FORWARD TRISHA JO GODDARD drives to the hoop against the Montana Western Bulldogs Saturday afternoon in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Goddard scored two points in the game. Coach Raegan Pebley praised the composure of her freshman class of players. CODY GOCHNOUR photo
the post season seven times in the past 11 years and may prove to be a difficult opponent for USU. The Waves are head coached by Julie Rousseau, who was head coach of the WBNA’s Los Angeles Sparks. Senior forward Miranda Ayim leads the Waves with an average of 15.3 points per game and almost three steals. Sophomore guards Jazmine Jackson and Lauren Bell are averaging more than 11 points per game for the Waves. The Waves are averaging 70 points per game, but are also allowing their opponents to score 70 points per game. The Waves stopped a three-game losing skid Friday night against the Providence Friars, 64-51. Ayim led the Waves with 22 points and finished the night with five
steals, two assists and one block. Jackson chipped in 12 points of her own and sophomore guard Katie Menton finished with 13 points. Both the Friars and the Waves shot well in the first half, then shot poorly in the second half. Pepperdine won the game with its free-throw shooting. The Friars were 9-of-12 from the free-throw line and the Waves hit 21-of-36. Overall, the Aggies are 1-1 against the West Coast Conference, with a win against Portland and a loss to San Francisco on the road. Tip-off against Pepperdine is set for 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 at Wells Fargo Arena in California. – ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu
Calvillo leads Allouettes to Grey Cup CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Long a staple of Saskatchewan Roughriders lore, the “13th man” took on a new and forever negative connotation Sunday night. Instead of the loud and colorful Saskatchewan faithful providing a figurative extra man, a real 13th man cost the team the Grey Cup title. The Roughriders appeared to have escaped with a one-point victory when Montreal kicker Damon Duval’s field-goal try sailed wide from 43 yards in the final seconds, but the Roughriders were flagged for having an extra man on the field. Given a second chance, Duval nailed a 33-yarder with no time left to give the Alouettes a 28-27 comeback victory over the dazed Roughriders. “The man upstairs gave me a second opportunity,” Duval said.
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“I got the ball through and what can I say, it was all these guys here just fighting back play after play.” The Roughriders failed in a bid for a second title in three years. “It was a lack of communication but it should have been recognized,” coach Ken Miller said about the critical penalty. “The disappointment of this loss is going to affect us as long as we’re on this planet. Total 100 percent disappointment.” Montreal, a team-record 15-3 in the regular season, erased a late 16-point deficit. Avon Cobourne, selected the game MVP, scored on a 3-yard run with 7:05 left, and Anthony Calvillo completed a 2-point conversion pass to Kerry Carter to make it 27-19. Calvillo then threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Ben Cahoon.
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Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
Spencer Johnson: No laughing matter By G. CHRISTOPHER TERRY assistant sports editor
Senior center Brennan McFadden insisted the joke is “not that funny.” Of course, he also claimed to have gotten his offensive line teammate, junior tackle Spencer Johnson, back by playing the same joke on him. It’s a charge Johnson denied, saying he has played the joke on McFadden on every flight the team has taken this year except the one to Hawaii, which was commercial. Here’s how it works: The team boards the plane, with the offensive linemen sitting in a straight line in the aisles so they can stretch their legs out. The first time the stewardess walks by, Johnson gets her attention and tells her that his teammate-cum-victim McFadden needs a seatbelt extender. When the stewardess brings the extender out, everyone has a hearty laugh at McFadden’s expense. “McFadden takes it as him being fat,” a clearly delighted Johnson explained. “We try to do it every week.” However, when the whistle blows, Johnson seamlessly makes the transition from joker to jock. Saturday afternoon at Idaho he put the finishing touches on his third-straight season playing in every single game, mostly at left tackle – traditionally regarded as the most difficult position to play on the offensive line. “We don’t have much help,” Johnson said humbly, “but we have (Robert) Turbin out of the backfield, you can see him chipping the defensive end, that helps both of the tackles out.” The quarterback whose blind side he has been protecting for the better part of those three seasons, Diondre Borel, and his
first-year position coach, Alex Gerke, are quick to praise the agile Johnson. “It’s great,” Borel said of having Johnson watch his back. “He’s been progressing every game ever since I first got here.” Gerke says Johnson’s toughness permeates through the offensive line. “I think he brings stability to the young offensive linemen that are in that group,” Gerkhe said of the three-year starter. “He should have some knowledge of how the game is played.” Johnson has attained that knowledge as the proverbial bullets were flying around him on the field. After redshirting in 2006 and being awarded scout team player of the week two times, Johnson was plugged in at left tackle in 2007 and started all 12 games. Johnson JOHNSON was the only offensive freshman and one of five offensive freshmen to play in all 12 games that year. In 2008, only two returning offensive players had more offensive plays than Johnson, who only started seven games but appeared in all 12. “I’ve seen so many different teams over my career here. I think I can be ready for almost anything,” Johnson said. Of passing his knowledge along to the other offensive linemen, Johnson said that comes naturally. “I try to help out. I think we have to communicate as offensive linemen the most. I remember when I was Malik Cin’s understudy my redshirt year he taught me. A guy like Oscar Molina is going to be a really great
player because he’s learning so much and he’s seeing a little time now. I learned a lot from Malik my freshman year, and I learned a lot from McFadden when he played tackle. When you’re that guy, when you’re old enough then you can be the one giving advice,” Johnson said. Johnson came to USU after earning first-team all-league honors and being named his league’s offensive lineman of the year award in his home of Oakland, Calif. A well-rounded athlete, Johnson earned academic all-league honors as well as being MVP of the track and field team as a discus and shot put thrower. Johnson has always been a free spirit. He played varsity tennis his senior year and even strutted his 6-foot-5, 285-pound body in a swimsuit contest, taking second place in the prestigious Mr. Lancaster Swimsuit Competition. When he’s not performing as one of USU’s most important offensive linemen, Johnson likes to have fun with his teammates. McFadden is not his only victim. Johnson said he and punter Peter Caldwell have short-sheeted right tackle Tariq Polley’s bed on every single road trip this year. “He still has no idea it’s us,” Johnson said with a laugh. “He’s going to find out by reading it in the paper.” Johnson possesses great timing – the true mark of a comedian. On the team’s recent trip to Idaho, Johnson said he “waited until the way back” to play the seatbelt extender joke on McFadden, “so it wouldn’t be on his mind.” After all, who would be thinking of seatbelt extenders after a wild 52-49 win over the Vandals? Johnson, USU’s Mr. Consistency at left tackle, that’s who. – graham.terry@aggiemail.usu.edu
Redshirt year helpful for player development By MATT SONNENBERG staff writer
While the household names of Aggie basketball such as Tai Wesley and Jared Quayle are inciting the roars of the Spectrum’s crowd on a nightly basis this season, two lesser-known players will spend their entire year putting in just as much practice time as Wesley and Quayle, while receiving little-to-no fanfare for the roles they play on the men’s basketball team. That is the current reality for USU freshmen Anthony DiLoreto and Preston Eaton, both of who will be redshirting for the 2009-2010 college basketball season. A redshirt year in college athletics is when player spends an entire season enrolled in classes, practicing with their team and even dressing for games but without playing, all the while without losing a year of their playing eligibility. The purpose is to allow teams to spread a player’s eligibility if needed, allow players to adjust to competing at the college level, or in some cases allow a player to recover from an injury that would keep them off the court. USU assistant coach Tarvish Felton, who himself redshirted during his playing days in college, said, “A redshirt is really used when it’s best to benefit the player, whether you need some time to mature physically or get better at certain things or certain aspects.” With an entire year to practice with the team without being able to ever check into a game, the life of a redshirt player becomes heavily focused around running the scout team to prepare the starters and primary back-ups of the team for each game. DiLoreto said that sometimes when most of the team is watching game film, the scout team will be on the court learning certain plays run by the Aggies’ next opponent to run against the first two lines of the team, all of which is part of the routine for redshirts and scout team players in playing their role within the team. Knowing that playing time will be non-existent during his first year at USU, DiLoreto defined his role on the team as “running scout, trying to compete as much as possible with the top two lines and just improve the team.” Felton echoed the importance of players in the roles of DiLoreto and Eaton saying, “When
AGGIE CENTER MATT FORMISANO lays the ball in against Idaho State earlier this season in the Spectrum. Formisano is one player who has benefitted from a redshirt year. PATRICK ODEN photo
Stomp: Aggies overpower S. Utah -continued from page 13 to the Spectrum in four years Wednesday and one-loss Saint Mary’s – which beat USU at home in the ESPN bracket buster game last year – visits on Saturday. “We got through it, it’s a win,” said Morrill of the SUU game. “The price of poker goes up next
week – certainly in terms of the two opponents we’ve got coming in are both really good teams.” – t.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu
-continued from page 13 ing possession, the Aggies finally turned the game back in their favor. Senior safety James Brindley recovered an Idaho fumble at the Vandals one-yard line, where Turbin promptly cashed in his fifth touchdown of the afternoon. That score gave the Aggies a 10-point lead with 8:46 remaining, and though Idaho was able to score again and pull within three with 1:16 left, the Ags were able to recover the ensuing onside kick and run out the clock. “It’s so great how it happened tonight – the
SEC Championship will pit No. 1 vs. 2
NEW YORK (AP) — For the second straight season the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. Again, it’ll be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked. Florida extended its lead last game of the year, finding a way to be able in the AP college football poll to get a win on the road against a team that Sunday, receiving 46 first-place is most likely going to a bowl game and has played very well this year and played extreme- votes after routing rival Florida ly well at home,” Andersen said. “It’s fantastic State 37-10. The Crimson Tide received for these seniors. We have so much to learn but that’s not for today. Today is to celebrate a seven first-place votes and 1,416 points to edge No. 3 victory on the road for the seniors.” Texas, which received seven – t.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu first-place votes and 1,414 points. Both teams had close victories against in-state rivals
Note: Aggies finish off Vandals
you’re a redshirt or when you’re on scout team, you’re an integral part of the program because our scout team here at Utah State has always been good and allowed us to really prepare for the other team and that’s an asset for us.” Asked if players are often discouraged by putting in the amount of work they do without being able to play, Felton said, “Our guys don’t really get down. They buy in and they know that they still have a role on the team even though they’re not playing in games and it’s a very important part.” While the scout team role of a redshirt provides a valuable element in preparing a team for each game, the extra year of learning often can make for a more successful four years for a player, particularly in learning and executing the complex offense that USU runs. Felton said, “You feel like you’re a year better because you’ve been around it. You know the system.” Redshirt players, while they sit on the bench in street clothes for home games, dress in full uniform and warm up with the rest of the team for road games. “It gives them an opportunity to dress and get the game day atmosphere, and that’s good for them,” Felton said. Although the feeling of being told he’d be sitting out of games for this entire year initially stung him a little bit, DiLoreto said, “I realize that it’s better for me in the long run. I’ll be able to come back a lot better next year.” While DiLoreto and Eaton will carry the eligibility tag of “redshirt-freshmen” a year from now, Felton hinted that they will have more expected of them than what a true-freshman player would. “When you redshirt, you’re not a new guy,” Felton said. “You’re a veteran. You’ve been through it before.” When asked what he expects the feeling to be when he finally gets on the floor for a USU home game after watching from the sidelines for an entire year, DiLoreto said, “It’s going to be unreal.” For the time being though, the freshman center is accepting his role with th team. “It’s hard not being able to go out and play, but just supporting the team trying to help out anyway possible is what I’m doing,” he said. – matt.sonn@aggiemail.usu.edu
over the Thanksgiving weekend. Last season, Florida went into the SEC title game as the No. 2 team in the AP Top 25 and beat No. 1 Alabama to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game. The SEC title game will again be a de fact national semifinal, with the winner of Saturday’s game in Atlanta earning a spot in the national title game in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 7. The top six in the latest poll was unchanged for the third consecutive week. TCU is No. 4, followed by fellow unbeatens Cincinnati and Boise State. The top six in the BCS
standings were the same as in the AP poll. Oregon moved up three spots to No. 7 heading into its season-finale against No. 13 Oregon State, a Thursday night game that will decide the Pac10’s representative in the Rose Bowl. Three Big Ten teams round out the top. Ohio State is No. 8, followed by Iowa and Penn State. Virginia Tech is No. 11 and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech dropped five spots to No. 12 after losing 30-24 to Georgia.
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
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SpecialFeatures
Iran defies UN, plans ‘Up in Air’ marketing is still up in air 10 new nuclear plants BY BORZOU DARAGAHI Los Angeles Times
Two days after the world’s atomic energy watchdog rebuked Iran over its nuclear program, the Islamic Republic’s Cabinet on Sunday ordered a dramatic expansion of the nuclear program that would include an additional 10 nuclear plants. If completed, the plan would provide Iran with enough enriched uranium to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity within six years, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency. But Iran’s stated plans often don’t square with its capabilities. The oil-andgas rich Middle East nation of 70 million would need to overcome economic and technical hurdles to mount so ambitious a nuclear expansion. Iran has installed about 8,000 centrifuges, of which only about half are producing reactor-grade uranium. Experts predicted Iran would have a tough time following through with the plan. “If they actually mean it, given the pace of their production and installation of working centrifuges, we are looking at an extremely costly 20- or 30-year program, at best,” said Gary Sick, a professor of the Middle East at Columbia University who served on the National Security Council during Iran’s 1979 revolution. “Words are easy. Implementation is hard.” The plan calls for 10 plants on the scale of a current, industrial-sized facility in Natanz that holds 50,000 centrifuges. Ahmad Shirzad, a Tehran nuclear scientist and frequent critic of the government, said Iran had neither the industrial ability to create 500,000 centrifuges nor the basic ingredients to operate them. He characterized the announcement as a “political decision to make an impression” on the international community. “Viewing the industrial development in Iran for the time being, it is not feasible,” he said. “Apart from that, we need lots of lots of raw materials, including uranium, many kinds of alloys and so on to be imported from abroad.” Such items could be difficult for Iran to come by, given the sanctions already in place to prevent it from obtaining so-called dual-use materials, which could be used for peaceful purposes or to build weapons. Ahmadinejad said the new facilities would incorporate more efficient centrifuges that Iran has yet to employ. “New high-capacity centrifuges have been designed by the Islamic Republic of Iran that can carry out the task in fewer numbers,” he said. “We will use these new centrifuges as soon as they become operational.” The U.S. and its allies criticized Iran’s move. “If true, this would be yet another serious violation of Iran’s clear obligations under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and another example of Iran choosing to isolate itself,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes; the U.S. and its allies fear that
BY CLAUDIA ELLER Los Angeles Times
Iran is intent on building atomic weapons. Said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband: “Instead of engaging with us, Iran chooses to provoke and dissemble.” On Friday, the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted 25-3 with seven abstentions to condemn Iran’s nuclear program. The resolution by the agency, which reports to the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council, called on Iran to halt enrichment, resolve lingering questions about its past nuclear activities, open its facilities to further inspection and provide assurances it is not operating secret nuclear research and development sites. Iran’s Parliament issued a statement Sunday asking the government to reduce its cooperation with the IAEA following the vote. But Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said the country would not pull out of its treaty obligations, which bar it from pursuing nuclear weapons. “We pursue our rights and international obligations in equal measures,” he said on the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting, according to Mehr. Iran’s claim that the censure was politically motivated was bolstered by Egypt, which called the resolution “unbalanced” because it did not address Israel’s undeclared nuclear weapons program. “The resolution did not take into consideration the regional dimension in dealing with the Iranian nuclear dossier, as the resolution should (have) included a clear remark on the importance of dealing with the Israeli nuclear abilities and freeing the Middle East from nuclear weapons,” said a statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry. Egypt abstained from Friday’s vote. Uranium enriched to low levels can be used for producing electricity; it must be enriched to much higher levels to provide fuel for a weapon. The 500,000 centrifuges Iran envisions could, theoretically, produce enough fuel for a bomb every two days. Iran has not responded definitively to a U.S.-backed proposal to swap much of its current supply of 5 percentenriched uranium for 20 percent-enriched fuel rods to operate a medical research plant in Tehran.
HOLLYWOOD -- Six years ago, when Jason Reitman set out to write a dramatic comedy about a “corporate downsizer” who flies around the country and fires employees, the economy was booming and jobs were plentiful. By the time the young director, known for his 2007 hit “Juno,” got around to making “Up in the Air,” the world had changed drastically. A recession hit, unemployment soared to nearly 10 percent and adult audiences largely had forsaken films with weighty topics. Suddenly layoffs, even cast in a humorous light, didn’t seem so funny. Reitman’s “Up in the Air,” which stars George Clooney as a corporate grim reaper, presents a thorny marketing challenge for Paramount Pictures, the studio that helped finance the picture and is distributing it. The film’s release Friday comes as the nation grapples with the worst economic downturn in 70 years, and the movie prominently features a theme -- getting thrown out of work because of cutbacks -- that could alienate potential moviegoers too pained to watch what they are all too familiar with in real life. “Up in the Air” is the latest Hollywood film that collides with difficult topics
from today’s headlines. And such movies’ track record isn’t encouraging. Disney’s recent comedy “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” about a young woman with a mountain of credit card debt, fell short at the box office. So did films with 9/11 themes, such as “A Mighty Heart” and “United 93,” as well as those dealing with the Iraq war, such as “Stop Loss” and “In the Valley of Elah.” Adapted from Walter Kirn’s 2001 novel of the same name, “Up in the Air” stars Clooney as beguiling hatchet man Ryan Bingham, a rootless soul more interested in racking up frequent flier miles than in engaging emotionally with people around him. Although Bingham’s personal soulsearching malaise is the center of the film’s narrative, the sting of job loss is very much in the foreground. “This movie could either be cathartic or, because it hits so close to home, people may not want to spend two hours with something they’re living with every day,” said Russell Schwartz, a movie marketing consultant and former studio executive. “It’s also a movie that’s being released against the tide, when uplifting stories and light escapism are thriving.” What’s more, “Up in the Air” doesn’t fit neatly into a genre -- it combines comedy and drama -- and has a story line that’s
not easily distilled into a 30-second TV commercial. “It’s not an easily marketable movie,” said executive producer Tom Pollock, whose Montecito Picture Co. co-financed the movie. “It’s got romance, but it’s hardly a romantic comedy. It’s not an R-rated horror movie where audiences know what they’re going to get.” Those risks were among the reasons the movie’s budget was kept to a relatively modest $25 million, with Clooney forgoing a big chunk of his normal fee in exchange for a bigger cut of the hoped-for profit. Paramount is shouldering half the production costs and will spend about $40 million to promote the movie, according to a person familiar with the matter. Although “Up in the Air’s” budget means it can succeed without being a box-office juggernaut, Paramount is using a number of marketing and distribution tactics to attract the widest possible audience. The movie will open in only 12 cities, including Los Angeles and New York, and expand gradually until Dec. 25, when it will play wide. Paramount hopes the measured release strategy will let audiences discover the film and encourage others to see it.
ends in New York. But the end of the world never, ever involves the demolition of the farm and fleet in a flyover state. Go there. Notable exception to flyoverstate rule: South Dakota, though technically a part of the Midwest, is not recommended for relocation, as Mount Rushmore makes the entire state vulnerable to the end of the world. See: “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Cloverfield,” “Independence Day.” STEP 2: Buy a tuxedo Though the United States government employs hundreds of geologists, astronomers and other scientists, none of them will realize that the end of the world is coming. Only a dingbat living in a trailer crunching numbers on a Casio calculator will realize that the end is near. But when he attempts to burst into the White House to warn the president, he is turned away because he is wearing a old T-shirt. This wastes precious hours. To speed up the saving of the human race, all dingbats should invest in formalwear. See: “2012,” “War of the Worlds,” “Deep Impact.” STEP 3: Acquire a Y chromosome Unfortunately, there are no women at the end of the world. There are men, there are children and there are helpless damsels who beg to be rescued. But there are no women. Sorry, women. See: Every apocalyptic movie ever, except perhaps “Terminator” and Tina Turner’s character in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.” STEP 4: Avoid cannibalism
Sure, this advice seems easy enough to follow, but when the end of the world comes, people are going to immediately start eating people. They may have just finished a big turkey dinner, but they’ll still start gnawing on somebody’s ankle, because it’s the end of the world. Those not committing cannibalism will be engaging in other popular apocalyptic activities, such as leaving their cars in the middle of the road for no reason. Look, don’t eat other people. The end of the world will have a sense of karma and the people who do that type of junk usually get theirs in the end. If you want to stay alive, familiarize yourself with edible plants. See: “The Road,” “Blindness,” “I Am Legend.” STEP 5: Ignore the president At some point near the end of the world, the president (probably Morgan Freeman) will decide to address the nation via television. This will happen at a peak moment of destruction, like when the streets are being flooded with ice water and Statue of Liberty heads. Everyone will patiently pause, find a flatscreen in a shop window and tearily watch as the president talks about how the human race must go on. These people are suckers. If you want the human race to go on, you need to stop listening to the president wax nostalgic, and buddy, you need to run. If you’re alive later, you can always catch that inspiration on TiVo. See: “Independence Day,” “Deep Impact,” “2012.”
Does ‘The Road’ follow tried and true disaster movie formulas? BY MONICA HESSE The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — When the world ends, there will be cannibals. There will be sepia tones. The Statue of Liberty’s mammoth head will go thundering through the streets, after being dislodged from her body by a big tidal wave, or perhaps a fiery rain of asteroids. You will be safe, providing you have not just made a declaration of eternal devotion, such as “I will never leave you,” in which case you’re probably toast. Thank God for the movies. Without them, we would never know the proper way to behave at the end of the world. “The Road,” depicting a father and son’s hopeless trudge through a post-apocalyptic world, opened on Wednesday. It followed “2012,” depicting a father and kids’ frantic race through a near-apocalyptic world, in accordance with alleged ancient prophecy. Lucky for you, you don’t need a Mayan calendar to guide you through Armageddon. When the end comes, just get your advice from Hollywood. STEP 1: Move to Topeka To increase your odds of surviving the end of the world, it is advisable to move to Kansas, Nebraska or Iowa. This is because the world will not end in the Midwest. It will end only in major coastal cities that contain recognizable landmarks, which the storm/asteroids/ aliens will destroy for maximum cultural poignancy. The world frequently ends in Washington, with the demolition of the White House. The world more frequently
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When it is time to look for that job, that career-type job, check with The UTAH Statesman Job Finder first. Just go to www.A-Bay-USU.com and look for the job finder widget, right thre on the right. Start clicking and start the search. Good luck!
Page 18
StatesmanCampus News
Monday, Nov. 30, 2009
USU names new executive director of Brigham City Regional Campus qualified applicant pool for this position,” said Ronda Menlove, vice provost of Regional Campuses and Distance Education. “We are pleased to have someone of his caliber selected to be dean of the Brigham City campus.” Lee said he is excited to provide students with access to a highquality education in Brigham City. He said he wants to add to the 33 degrees already offered through the Brigham City Regional Campus and maintain the impressive growth the campus has seen, including possible expansion. “This is a challenging and exciting position that comes at a time of tremendous growth for the Brigham City campus,” Lee said. “I welcome the opportunity to act as a bridge between the
BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS
Thomas R. Lee has been named dean and executive director of Utah State University’s Brigham City Regional Campus. Lee is currently the head of the family, consumer and human development department at Utah State. Lee is no stranger to the distance education system. As department head, he has been involved in developing a distance-delivered master’s degree in family and human development and a new online bachelor’s degree in family life studies. “Dr. Tom Lee’s track record of innovation in distance education helped him rise to the top of the highly competitive and
main campus and regional campus, and between the regional campus and the community, to help meet the needs of local residents.” Lee completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah. He earned a master’s degree in family and human development from USU. After completing a doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, he came to USU in 1982 as an assistant professor and Extension specialist. He worked in Cooperative Extension for 20 years as a family life specialist prior to becoming department head seven years ago.
Grant: Sheep genome project will also aid research of other species -continued from page 1
10 to the ninth power bases in every single cell, so it takes manpower from all the labs to isolate mutations and match the ends of the sequences to the beginnings of others. Five undergraduate students and a few post-doctorate and graduate students are studying parasite resistance in the biotechnology lab, put in 10-15 hours a week as lab technicians. “It is really a joint effort to get this done,” Cockett said. “It’s really amazing to work with people in other countries, especially because someone can be working on it 24 hours a day, and with e-mail we have instantaneous communication.” She said it took about two and a half years to work on the concept for her nearly million-dollar grant, which was finally written in June 2009. She expects the genome to be mapped in about six months and will take another year to assemble all of the pieces. She said it’s not just her USDA grant that will fund the work but several smaller grants over time. “This grant is helping all sheep researchers to be able to compare back to a point of reference,” she said, but it will aid researchers with other species as well. “It’s about differences and similarities in genetics and environment,” she said. “These are tools that help people identify those. It all starts with DNA and ordering that will help us predict what genes produce, and how they work in the body.” – chelsey.gensel@aggiemail.usu.edu ALMOST $1 MILLION IN GRANT MONEY will be used to map the sheep genome. It took grant recipient and Dean of the College of Agriculture Noelle Cockett two and a half years to work on the concept for this project. PETE P. SMITHSUTH photo
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