the utah
Monday, September 14, 2015 • www.usustatesman.com • (435)-797-1742 • Free single copy
Aggies arrive in herds for fall semester at USU By Whitney Howard STAFF WRITER
While the official numbers won’t be reported until October, Utah State University has enrolled record numbers of Aggies for the fall 2015 semester. The increase in enrollment this year and the decrease two years ago is attributed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary age change. The LDS missionary age change dropped the age a man can serve a mission from 19 to 18 years old, and for women, from 21 to 19. “In fall ’13 we saw a decline because these students that used to come for a year and then leave have left early,” said John Mortensen, assistant vice president for Enrollment Services and Retention at Utah State. Now the first generation affected by this change is returning from their missions and coming to college. “Most of them are [return missionaries], so it makes it enjoyable for me because I can relate with a lot of people,” said Kaden Neuberger, a first year bioengineering major who recently returned from his mission in Honduras. While return mission-
Matthew Halton | PHOTOGRAPHER STUDENTS FILL THE SIDEWALKS on campus. Utah State is experiencing its highest ever enrollment this semester partially because of the change in missionary age two years ago. Official enrollment numbers have not been recleased yet.
aries play a part, the record enrollment at USU is also due to recruitment. “We really did step up recruitment efforts,” said Katie Nielsen, the director of admissions for USU. “Knowing that enrollment was going to be down, we put in a lot of extra efforts the last couple of years that I think paid off.” While a lot of schools benefited from the mis-
sionary age change, many have not seen the increase in enrollment USU has, Nielsen said. Landon Howard, diversity ambassador for Aggie Ambassadors and a junior in marketing, also acknowledges the increased efforts of recruitment. “The work that was put in by the whole ambassador organization in general definitely have done the recruiting side of
things … to show the students what’s really offered here at Utah State,” Howard said. Utah State benefits from the return missionaries and recruitment’s efforts. More students bring more money, which helps fund our classes, programs and events. “Enrollment drives the university,” Nielsen said. “If you’re up in enrollment, you have more funds to help students.”
Mortensen said these funds can also help make up deficits. “During the time that enrollment was down, obviously budgets took a hit,” Mortensen said. “Now the increase in tuition dollars this semester will level that out again.” Along with finances, students also experience an enhanced campus atmosphere. “One of the biggest benefits is the excitement
on campus,” Nielsen said. “Having more students at activities, more students at games, more students that get to have this Aggie experience.” Increased enrollment means housing more students, filling some housing options to capacity. “University housing’s full,” Mortensen said. “And then we had the Aggie Factory not ready see Students page 7
Logan Film Festival provides cultural experience for students By Jillian Mccarthy WRITER
The Logan Film Festival brought art-involved opportunities for Utah State University students. The event was on Friday and Saturday and was held at two historic theatres in downtown Logan: the Dansante Theatre and Caine Lyric Theatre. The event had lots of students involved, according to Mason Johnson, director of the film festival. “We have students that volunteer for the event and we also give a 90 percent discount on our tickets to students,” Johnson said. A volunteer at the event and USU student, Ember Bradbury believes it’s hard to find art events in Logan, and she likes to take every opportunity of attending these events when they happen. “If USU were to make more art opportunities, it would draw in more artsy people and it will make USU a culture instead of a school,” Bradbury said.
The majority of the festival was put on by volunteers. Student volunteers have the incentive of putting this experience on their resumes and in their portfolios, while other volunteers get to feel the satisfaction of bringing art and culture to their community. USU helped prepare Lindsay Barlow, a volunteer manager for the film festival and USU graduate, to help put on this event. “College did so much more for me than I initially realized,” Barlow said. “It did what it is supposed to do: it stretched me. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and into scenarios that prepared me for life outside of college. A world that seemed so vast and overwhelming but also full of opportunities.” The festival was comprised of 30 independent films that were submitted from all over the world. More than a third of the see Film page 8
Annie Hall | PHOTO EDITOR |
annietaylorhall
CROWDS OF PEOPLE gather into the Caine Lyric Theater to watch Prophet’s Prey, a documentary about Warren Jeffs and polygamy, on Saturday.