Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
Utah Statesman The
Campus Voice since 1902
Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com
Logan Lurker strikes off-campus student housing Residents report missing gaming equipment, movies iPods and cash By CATHERINE MEIDELL assistant news editor
Oakridge, Old Farm and Pine View student housing have reported an unknown person entering apartments between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., stealing gaming equipment, movies, iPods and cash. There are also rumors of thefts at Riverside Apartments, Kampus Korner and Garden Courts – all apartment complexes affected are located within a mile radius. Capt. Jeff Curtis of the Logan City Police Department said the thief wanders through student housing complexes looking for unlocked doors. The person is mainly taking cash and any valuable items to pawn. “I went to bed around 1. I was sleeping, and I rolled over and for some reason I woke up and I saw someone standing in my room,” said Jake
Sorensen, Oakridge resident and freshman at worth of gaming equipment was missing from because they left it open for a roommate who USU. “He was looking over my dresser drawer at Tyrell Marchant’s Old Farm apartment early was out late, but she ended up staying out that my family picture.” Saturday morning. He realized it was missing night. Sorensen said the man in his room was tall after his friend Dan Clark said the girls’ apart“The scariest part is that they were actually with short hair similar to a ment next door was robbed. in our rooms,” she said. “None of us woke up but military haircut and a thin He then went downstairs they were definitely there while we were sleepbody and face. Sorensen and his door was slightly ing.” “The scariest part said when he asked the man open. He realized his Xbox Marchant’s and Cole’s friend Clark said their is that they were what he was doing, the man 360 and some video games church leaders warned them of a thief in the actually in our was startled and came to the were missing, along with area the previous Sunday. Clark said his church rooms. None of us edge of the bed. He said the movies. leaders specified Oakridge, Pine View and Old man told him he was sorry In the apartment Farm as the main apartment complexes at risk; woke up, but they for being in his bedroom, next door to Marchant, four however, there are rumors that the problem is were definitely and he was looking for of the five girls sleeping occurring in other areas as well. there while we someone named Matt, which there had money taken from Sydney Green, an Old Farm manager, said it were sleeping.” happened to be the name their wallets, purses and is rumored that the thief is getting the names of of a boy living in an apartnightstands the same night apartment residents from the LDS wards’ lists. ment across the hall from Marchant was robbed, said She said there was no damage done to the apart– Tressia Cole, Old Farm resident Tressia Sorensen. After they spoke, ment buildings. Old Farm resident Cole. Cole said her friend he walked out of Sorensen’s Curtis said it is important for all students to room and shut the door was staying over at her house lock their doors on a regular basis. He said the behind him. because she was getting mar- thief has repeatedly chosen to steal from apartIt was 6:15 a.m. when Sorensen had awoken ried Saturday and left her wedding dress and ments that have many bedrooms attached to a to the man in his room. He said he didn’t think other garments on the first floor of the apartmain living area. much of the incident when the man left until he ment. When Cole’s friend woke up, she found Marchant said the police are currently invesrealized $40 was missing from his wallet. all of her belongings scattered on the floor. Cole tigating the situation and a detective called him “I didn’t think he was robbing me. I just said when she went to get her hair done before yesterday for the serial number of the stolen thought he had the wrong room. I didn’t think the wedding, there wasn’t any money in her Xbox 360 in hopes of tracking it down. anything about it,” Sorensen said. purse to pay the hairdresser. – catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu Oakridge manager Mikelle Della-Lucia “We called the police that morning and they said the thief has also been known to take car responded very quickly and were very helpful,” remotes and get into residents’ vehicles. Cole said. Down the street from Oakridge, $1,600 Cole said the apartment door was not locked - Related info, page 3
New telescope gives clearer view of sky USU supports By MEGAN ALLEN staff writer
A new 20-inch, 135-pound telescope was installed January on the roof of the Science Engineering Research Building (SER). “We’ve been looking forward to this for years,” said James Coburn, physics faculty member. Before the telescope was installed, student work and research was done with a telescope from the 1970s. “The telescope we had was nice, but this is a big step up,” Coburn said. The new telescope is remote controlled, which allows for easier pointing and directing at certain areas of the sky. It is shorter than most telescopes, but has the same power and
viewing, just with more mirrors. The machine will give much clearer pictures of the sky than the old 14-inch telescope. It will turn what were once fuzzy dots into planets, star clusters and distant galaxies, Coburn said. Coburn gave the example of looking at Jupiter. “We have always plotted Jupiter’s moons,” he said, “but now we can track the red spot.” Funding for the telescope came entirely from the physics department. The department has been raising the money for the last 15 years. Coburn said he remembers talk of a new telescope when he was a student at USU in the early 1990s. The money came from student lab fees, department budgets and fundraisers. There were not any outside donors, Coburn
said. Obtaining a new telescope meant the department needed to build an observatory to complement it, Coburn said. The old observatory is located on the northeast corner of Romney Stadium. It is too small for the new telescope and does not provide optimal student access, Coburn said. Stanley Kane, director of USU Facilities Operations, was the main designer of the observatory and Coburn helped him. During the design process, the two looked at pictures of observatories at other universities, but all seemed too complicated, heavy and expensive, he said.
2/3/10
- See SKY, page 3
Learn a little about the valley we call home at the Cache Valley History Museum. Page 5
Junior college transfer Xavier Martin looks to make his mark next football season. Page 8
By CHELSEY GENSEL news senior writer
USU President Stan Albrecht discussed upcoming budget cuts with the Associated Students of USU (ASUSU) Executive Council at its Tuesday meeting. Albrecht said he met with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert earlier in the day to talk about governer’s budget proposal, which includes a 3 percent cut this year but no additional cuts in 2011. The total amount will be about $13 million, but the Utah Legislature is considering other proposals that could raise the number to about $34.3 million, Albrecht said. “That’s a worst case scenario,” he said, “but what I think you will see happen is the Legislature ending up with something a lot closer to the governor’s budget.” Albrecht said he felt that the Legislature has a slightly different philosophy than the governor does about higher education spending. “The legislature wants to cut, then restore,” Albrecht said. “But the governor would rather not cut in the first place.” The governor also seems more comfortable using one-time funds, such as the Rainy Day Fund, to help alleviate cuts in higher education, Albrecht said. If the Legislature’s budgets are passed, it could mean up to a 12 percent reduction in course offerings and 435 university employees lost, Albrecht said. Restoring the quality of the university after such drastic cuts would take “a generation to rebuild,” Albrecht said. It is important the Legislature understands the impact of cuts on students if it were to take these “draconian measures,” Albrecht said, and the university supports the governor’s budget plan. “If anyone asks, we love the governor’s budget,”
JAMES COBURN, physics faculty member, looks into the physics department’s 20-inch telescope. The telescope is remote controlled and the department has been raising money to purchase it for 15 years. STEVE SELLERS photo
Inside This Issue
Gov. Herbert’s budget plan, Albrecht says
- See ASUSU, page 4
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