Academic clubs call for transparency in response to funding cut rumors
By Malory Rau STATESMAN REPORTER
Utah State’s campus culture has not been the same since the passing of HB261. The bill closed the Inclusion Center and incited the rebranding and disbanding of clubs such as the Queer Student Alliance and the Black Student Union. Two academic senators and club presidents are now calling for transparency from USU after reporting rumors their clubs might be next to receive substantial funding cuts.
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Sen. Landry Hunter and College of Engineering Sen. Maddie Witte sat down with The Utah Statesman to discuss rumors.
“We have heard a lot of pretty substantial and trustworthy rumors that several of our clubs that are based around identities may be required by HB261 to either disassociate from the College of Engineering and move to operate under USUSA or they would have to completely rebrand and remove any mention of their identities from any branding they do, how they present themselves officially and any financial accounts that they hold,” Witte said.
Witte reported having heard similar rumors around the Women in Business Association. She said WIBA has been clearly told to either move to USUSA or disband.
As written on the student support website “USU maintains an ‘all-comers’ policy, and organizations supporting underrepresented students or focused on cultural identities are in compliance with HB261 as long as the programs and services they offer are open to all students.”
The website does not provide any specific information about the implications of HB261 on funding for identity-based academic clubs and chapters. Instead, under the subheading titled “Restrictions for Identity-Based Clubs,” it discusses the role of staff and faculty when being advisers for these clubs.
“Staff and faculty may continue to advise
If identity-based academic clubs, like the three listed by the College of Engineering under the student clubs and organizations website, were to be dissolved from their colleges and into USUSA, they would be hit with an impactful loss of funding and lack of access to attend national conferences and events.
“Just having rumors floating around is very frustrating, especially when it’s our responsibility to make sure those students and those clubs are taken care of,” Hunter said.
The senators were joined by former Miss USU and 202122 Society of Women Engineers president Regan Tracy and the president of USU’s Out in STEM chapter, also known as oSTEM, Clara Durling.
oSTEM provides a space for LGBTQ+ students in science, technology, engineering and math.
It’s our responsibilty to make sure sure those students and those clubs are taken care of.
— Landry Hunter
clubs focused on cultural identities, such as Women in STEM, as long as they do so on a volunteer basis and do not receive special funding/compensation for providing this service that other advisors would not receive for advising non-identity driven organizations. Clubs must also be open to all students,” the website states.
“I had already received an email from someone in the dean’s office telling us that our funding had been officially denied. Part of that was cited as we didn’t have a high enough percentage of engineering majors in our club,” Durling said.
Despite its small numbers on campus, oSTEM is the largest chapter-based LGBTQ+ STEM organization in the world, as stated by its website.
Durling further explained a higher-up in the dean’s office advised them to move oSTEM to USUSA because of its roots in identity.
Tracy, whose campaign as the 2023-24 Miss USU was STEM outreach, shared more on how she will navigate this rumored change as the SWE president.
“We all know it’s on the horizon, and it feels like such
a slap in the face because we already are an underrepresented group in STEM,” Tracy said. “It’s tough because it’s like you’re already fighting an uphill battle, and then it just adds on top of that and then furthermore on that. SWE is one of the most successful clubs in the College of Engineering, and we’re very inclusive. Like, yes, it’s the Society of Women Engineers, but we love our ‘he for SWE’ allies.”
Tracy, while wearing her SWE sweatshirt, explained how these rumors affect more than just her presidency but also her Miss USU platform.
“It is so hard that I spent a year as Miss USU working on my platform of creating a more inclusive environment for women in underrepresented groups in STEM just to feel like that all kind of went down the drain,” Tracy said. According to their website, SWE, a nonprofit organization, is the world’s largest advocate for women in engineering. They have over 400 U.S. affiliates and 100 global affiliates.
As the end of the academic year nears, the group is unsure how next year’s leaders will overcome these challenges without transparency from the university. The three engineers explained how their college experience was dependent upon academic clubs and events.
“I definitely have made a lot of friends through oSTEM. It’s given me something really valuable, too. I was able to get a lot of help through oSTEM with improving my resume, and we did lab tours and stuff that have not only enhanced my sense of community and sense of belonging here at the university but also just my professional development. That kind of support and that kind of community — that’s why I’m willing to stay here and try to fight for future students,” Durling said.
Malory Rau is a junior studying journalism and communication. When she’s not working, she can be found in good compnay at Westside Coffee Co with a brambleberry latte. — m.rau@usu.edu
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY SWE PRESIDENT EMMA MONTGOMERY Students dine at SWE’s 2024-25 opening social in the TSC Big Blue Room on Sept. 4.
Logan’s Lucky Slice moves to Center Street
By Bailey Daniels STATESMAN REPORTER
Alongtime resident of Logan’s Federal Avenue is making a move, leaving neighbors such as Caffe Ibis and Le Nonne. Lucky Slice Pizza was on the street since its opening in Cache Valley in 2017. As of March 12, staff are rolling out dough and new beginnings in their new location at 37 W. Center St.
Lucky Slice was founded in Ogden in 2012. According to their LinkedIn, they then opened their location in Clearfield and most recently, one in Logan. They are also open seasonally at the Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Eden and have two food trucks to carry out catering services.
The restaurant specializes in New Yorkstyle pizza with quirky toppings such as dill
The trio of owners is in a partnership with developer Tony Johnson, who let them know a building on Center Street had opened up. The timeline for this move was quicker than waiting to renovate and move into The White Owl bar, so they took the opportunity.
The Logan location general manager Hanna Hathaway spoke to The Utah Statesman about some of the qualities of their new location.
“Our location is much bigger. We’re actually looking to have outdoor seating during the summer. When it warms up here in a couple of months, we’ll have a back patio. We’ll be closer to the downtown events,” Hathaway said. “When they have events like the Latino Festival on Center Street and the Giant Pumpkin Festival, we’ll be right
pickle slices, waffle bites or smokey maple ketchup drizzle. They are available by the slice or whole and can also be delivered to areas within a certain radius of their locations.
Center Street holds community events and is a hub of activity in Logan, making an opportunity for more business. However, they weren’t necessarily looking to move into that exact location.
Mike McDonald, Nick VanArsdell and Will Shafer co-own the restaurant.
“My partners and I purchased The White Owl in the spring of 2023. So, our intentions were to move Lucky Slice into a portion of The Owl because we were going to renovate that building, but the timeline was too far out,” McDonald said.
brick. It’s an old building — really tall ceilings,” McDonald said. “It’s got a lot of windows. We have west-facing windows as well as south-facing windows. That gives us a lot of light in the winter. There’s a lot of exposed brick and plaster. All the colors are a lot lighter.”
The restaurant now neighbors local businesses such as The Crepery and Wonder Tea & Sweet and sits across the street from The White Owl. Additionally, there will be more parking available.
Hathaway explained they felt tucked away at their old location and hopes Center Street will help with the business’s visibility.
“We’re hoping to do some fun new events this summer working with the city of Logan and some of the downtown groups. We’re just excited to be on Center Street,” Mcdonald said.
there. Come and have a slice and listen to the music.”
Because of the old location’s proximity to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lucky Slice wasn’t able to obtain a liquor license. According to Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, alcoholic beverage licenses are not granted if a location is too close to a “community location.” This includes churches, schools, parks, public playgrounds and libraries. Their new location will enable them to serve alcohol, ideally increasing revenue.
“People like the new space. I think the accessibility is a little better for them. Just physically, the building has more character than the place on Federal, just withthe
Hathaway recommended those interested in specials and events check out their Instagram at @luckyslicepizza.
Bailey Daniels is a junior studying technology systems. She loves Lana Del Rey, sweet treats and all things whimsical.
PHOTOS BY Hazel Harris
The indoor seating at Lucky Slice Pizza’s new location on Center Street in Logan on March 19.
Student donates 10,000 plastic bags to SNAC
By Emma Shelite STATESMAN REPORTER
Student Kassie Jenson turned a class project into a significant community contribution, collecting more than 10,000 plastic bags for the Student Nutrition Access Center. Originally a requirement for her MSLE 3800: Leadership class, the initiative quickly gained traction and became a larger effort to support sustainability and food accessibility on campus. Jenson, senior from Washington studying information systems, has a personal connection to SNAC.
“I used SNAC during my second semester at USU when I was struggling to afford balanced meals,” Jenson said. “It made such a difference for me, and I wanted to give back.”
Her project was inspired by repeated SNAC social media posts requesting plastic bag donations. Seeing an opportunity to gather unused resources, Jenson devised a plan to collect and donate bags in bulk.
“I know so many people who have a bunch of bags shoved under their kitchen sink,” Jenson said. “This seemed like a simple way to help.”
What started as a modest goal of 3,000 bags quickly escalated. Jenson designed a marketing graphic and spread the word through her workplace bulletin board, local Cache Valley online groups and word of mouth. She described the response as overwhelming.
“I coordinated with people all over the valley, driving around to pick up thousands of bags,” she said. “Then I
reached out to a Walmart district manager, and they donated 4,000 bags.”
By the end of her collection efforts, she had gathered an estimated 10,229 bags.
Jenson’s donation has had an immediate effect on SNAC’s daily operations. The pantry receives 800–900 visits per week, and most students use plastic bags provided at SNAC to carry their food home.
“Kassie’s donation has helped us to reduce what we spend on purchasing plastic bags,” said SNAC student director Janna Cook. “It’s likely about $350 worth of bags, which allows us to allocate funds toward other essential resources.”
Despite the project’s success, Jenson faced several unexpected hurdles. The sheer volume of bags became an issue.
“I completely underestimated how much space 10,000 plastic bags would take,” Jenson said. “At one point, my entire stairway was lined with them.”
Emma Shelite is a junior majoring in journalism. Outside of the newsroom, she is passionate about cooking, athletics and her love for dogs.
— Emma.shelite@usu.edu
Kassie Jenson sits with plastic bags in a screenshot from SNAC’s Instagram.
Walipini impacts food insecurity in Logan
By Samantha Isaacson STATESMAN REPORTER
Just one mile off Utah State University’s Logan campus is Walipini Impact, an underground greenhouse growing fresh produce to donate to the community.
Jessie Miller, president and chief executive officer of Walipini Impact, created the organization because of experiences he had growing up.
“I grew up in a food-insecure household. My father was disabled, and my mother never had the opportunity to get an education, so she was always working low-wage jobs,” Miller said. “That meant that there weren’t a lot of resources to go around in the house.”
Miller said his family ended up relying on the food pantry a lot growing up, and he began to notice things about the food they picked up.
“There were a lot of cupcakes and donuts and birthday cakes that had been expired for maybe a few weeks, and other than that, you might get canned food that most of the time expired,” Miller said. “Sometimes, you would find some cans of ravioli that weren’t expired, and those were the highlights of the visits.”
Tifiny Mills, secretary and chief impact officer of the organization said she had similar experiences growing up on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in Southwest Colorado.
“My community also relied on commodities, which is similar to the food pantry,” Mills said. “A lot of it was canned food as well as non-perishables, so fresh food wasn’t accessible.”
As an adult, Miller wanted to help others so they wouldn’t have to go through the same things.
“At first, I started growing food and putting it on the sidewalk so people could grab it as they would walk past,” Miller said. “We live on a pretty busy street, so all
the food would always get taken, but I wanted to donate more, so we started doing more donations to the food pantry.”
Miller said after he started donating, he realized he couldn’t grow fresh foods during winter, and there weren’t many solutions to make them accessible for people.
“I started researching and exploring this walipini system down in Peru a tribe was using to help grow food through the winter,” Miller said. “I thought that maybe that would work here and maybe we could use it as a system so that we could grow food year round just for the purpose of donating it.”
Walipini greenhouses are a type of low-cost, underground greenhouse that offer year-round growing potential by leveraging geothermal heat and solar radiation. After doing some research, Miller began building one in 2020.
“We finished the structure last year,” Miller said. “We didn’t have a lot of access to resources, so it kind of took a while to build it all by hand. This has been our first year growing food through the winter.”
Samuel Kelley, chief marketing officer, said the project is now helping to provide nutritious fresh food to the community, specifically through USU’s Student Nutrition Access Center.
“We actually did a test recently and found that we could harvest the food at our greenhouse and get it to SNAC within 38 minutes,” Miller said. “We really like donating to SNAC because they currently have no reliable avenues for fresh foods. The need is great, and that is our community, so we want to do what we can to support and work with them.”
Miller said it is important fresh foods are consumed quickly after they have been harvested, and the project helps people in need get access to these locally-grown fresh foods while they are still nutrient-rich.
“Within five days, some fresh foods can lose up to 95% of their nutritional value,” Miller said. “A lot of our fresh foods are grown in places like California, South America and Florida, and by the time those foods reach us, they are already at least one to two weeks old. Sometimes, you’re eating an apple that’s over six months old.” Going forward, the organization has many goals to make the world a better place.
“Long term, we want to essentially feed the world,” Miller said. “We want to take the walipini project as far as we can in that sense. For more short-term goals, by 2030, we want to build 10 of these systems outside of the United States.” Mills said they will be building a walipini system in Uganda soon, which will function within their environment. If students want to get involved with or donate to Walipini Impact, they can visit walipiniimpact.com or their Instagram profile at @walipini_company.
Isaacson is a senior majoring in journalism with a double minor in art and psychology. She loves to read and spend time outdoors.
— sam.isaacson@usu.edu
PHOTOS BY Hazel Harris
Jessie Miller stands inside the Walipini Impact underground greenhouse in Logan on March 17.
Samantha
The interior of the Walipini Impact greenhouse, housing aquaponic growing towers stocked with plants such as lettuce, tomatoes and basil.
Finding refuge, forging community: María Cordero’s story
By Lacey Cintron STATESMAN REPORTER
Looking out from the window of her family’s Chicago apartment, a two-year-old María-de Jesús Cordero and her mother would watch, eyes lit up with wonder, as the sky turned white and the ground donned an arctic blanket.
“My mom asked, ‘What’s this fuzzy stuff falling from the sky?’” said Cordero, now associate professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies at Utah State University. “Eventually, she called my aunt, and my aunt laughed at her and said, ‘Oh, that’s snow!’”
Cordero’s journey to becoming a professor at USU is a winding one. Only a few days prior to her first experience with snow, she and her family uprooted their lives from the island country of Cuba and boarded the Freedom Flights to Miami in hopes of finding refuge from the rule of Fidel Castro. The Cordero family then moved from Miami to Illinois, and Cordero became well-acquainted with snow, living life as a Cuban-American immigrant in the frigid cities of Chicago and Logan.
“My family came to the United States from Cuba in 1969 — exactly 10 years after the revolution,” Cordero said. “By that time, the economy was in turmoil, and food was being rationed.”
Cordero’s story begins with hunger. In 1962, Castro implemented a food rationing system known as “La Libreta,” or “rations booklet,” under which Cordero’s family would struggle. As part of La Libreta, each Cuban family receives a booklet allotting each member a certain amount of food according to age and sex, and this allotted amount would vary drastically over the years.
“My father was the one in charge of standing in the long food ration lines,” Cordero said. “Often, people would end up waiting for hours in the hot sun, and when they reached the front of the line, there wouldn’t be any food left. When that happened, it wasn’t like they gave you extra the following month — you just lost the opportunity.”
With two young, anemic children and a third on the way, Cordero’s father would grow increasingly worried about his ability to feed his family.
“My father would become extremely frustrated and would stand in the middle of the plaza and decry the food shortage
and the fact his young children were suffering,” Cordero said. “It was a health problem for children, for pregnant women, for everyone.”
Opposition under Castro’s rule was met with swift punishment, as dissenters were often imprisoned and executed through death penalties. According to the Cuba Archive database and Human Rights Watch, the Castro regime incarcerated thousands and orchestrated 6,800 Cuban deaths by firing squad or “extrajudicial assassination.”
“My dad was used to roaming about freely and saying whatever he thought about things,” Cordero said. “Because he was decrying these problems, he was at risk for being detained, which was another reason for having to leave the country.”
Pushed by unpredictable food conditions and increasing civil rights infringements, Cordero’s family sought immigration to America.
“My parents announced that we were leaving, which is what you had to do, and then you had to wait,” Cordero said. “Often, it was a number of years before you obtained permission to leave.”
While Cubans wishing to leave were technically “free to do so,” as declared in 1965 by Castro, the process was far from simple. Cubans trying to leave often faced retaliation and long wait times.
“My mother was a pre-K teacher, and any teacher who said they planned to leave was considered dangerous and immediately lost their job,” Cordero said. “You had to be able to afford a period of time in which you couldn’t work.”
Following Castro’s 1965 announcement, thousands of refugees flooded the shores of Key West, overwhelming the U.S. Coast Guard and Citizenship and Immigration Services. The U.S. and Cuba would begin the Freedom Flights program in response, and for the following eight years, ten flights a week would transport immigrants from Cuba to Miami.
“We were able to obtain visas and left on the
Freedom Flights out of Varadero,” Cordero said. “I remember my mother being extremely nervous, and I was wondering what was going on.”
Cordero went on to earn a PhD at Princeton University and teach at USU. Learning an entirely new language to navigate a country of different cultures, customs and ways of life presents refugees and immigrants with a unique set of challenges.
“Some of the biggest challenges they face is the culture shock, the language barrier and finding a sense of belonging,” said Lizette Villegas, community health worker at Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection.
Children of first generation immigrants often find themselves stuck between the culture they know and the culture they must learn to navigate.
“When I was a child, I was traveling between two very different worlds,” Cordero said. “At home we spoke Spanish, ate Cuban food and listened to Cuban music, but then I would go to school where everything was in English and the food was different. Sometimes, I would bring my lunch, and the other kids would stare and think it was disgusting, and I felt embarrassed.”
Reconciling different languages and cultures is often an obstacle for immigrant and refugee families. According to Cordero, these differences can place undue burden on the children of these families, requiring them to act as an intermediary.
Lacey Cintron is a psychology major. She loves learning about the human mid, sharing stories and napping.
— lacey.cintron@usu.edu
Outdoor Programs goes on spring break
By Brook Wood STATESMAN REPORTER
Despite forecasts predicting bad weather, Utah State University students headed south to Moab for Outdoor Programs’ annual spring break rock climbing and mountain biking trips.
Justin Kay is an OP employee and served as a trip leader for the rock climbing group.
“I first got into leading outdoor trips when I started working for a backpacking guiding company that worked out of the San Rafael Swell,” Kay wrote in an email to The Utah Statesman. “I enjoyed that job a lot but decided to go back to school. Thats when I found the trip leader position at Utah State.”
Both groups left on March 13 and returned on March 16.
“The advantages of having both groups in Moab at the same time is that we share all of the same kitchen gear and food, so we can just share all of the same camping gear instead of having to split it up amongst two trips,” Kay wrote.
Forecasts said rain and possible snow would occur during the weekend, threatening to shut down the climbing group’s ability to climb on those days. According to Kay, the group was able to climb both full days due to surprisingly positive weather.
“Our Moab trip pretty much went exactly how we envisioned it; it honestly went better than we expected,” Kay wrote.
Madison Wilcox is a sophomore who participated in the rock climbing trip.
“I just thought this was a good opportunity to meet new people and spend spring break outside,” Wilcox said. “I’ve never tried rock climbing before, and I thought this would be a great place to learn how, and it was pretty cheap — like, the trip — because it was only $160, and everything was covered.”
Wilcox emphasized how the trip leaders made sure the trip was accessible for climbers of all levels.
“There were climbs for people who never climbed before and then there was also climbs for people who were pretty experienced and knew what they were doing,” Wilcox said. “So, I feel like there was a good range. I didn’t expect that.”
The climbing group went to well-known climbing spots such as “The Wall,” “The Ice Cream Parlor” and “The Cinema,” and both the climbers and bikers went on a night hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.
“When we did the Delicate Arch hike in the middle of the night — that was a pretty cool experience,” Wilcox said. “How bright the moon was — and when we were sitting under the arch in complete silence — that was really awesome. It was a moment to connect with nature as a group but then also individually.”
Kay wrote his favorite aspect of the trip was gaining new experience and having fun with the climbers throughout the trip.
“My favorite part of the trip was leading trad routes at the ice cream parlor crag and hanging out/joking around with all of our climbers throughout the trip,” Kay wrote.
Both Kay and Wilcox recommend students go on outdoor trips through the OP because of the low prices and educational experience.
“It is a great way to improve one’s mental health and a great way to boost confidence,” Kay wrote. “Especially with OP trips, being around new people and trying new things is the kind of discomfort that people grow a lot from.”
Brook Wood is working towards a bachelor’s degree in literature. When they aren’t writing or reading, they enjoy playing the violin.
Every Wednesday at noon, Thatcher Wooley cracks open “The Fridge” and brings the world a new tasty nugget of sound. Prepare for an absolutely delicious mix of rock ‘n soul from across history and comparisons to food the DJ knows nothing about.
Cold Beverage G. Love & Special Sauce
Ice Cold Daydream Shuggie Otis
Soft Serve
Soul Coughing
Popsicle Talking Heads
Lunch Meat
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizards
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY Theo Troester-Solbrig
The Outdoor Programs spring break rock climbing group hike “The Cinema” in Moab on March 15.
Bruins maul Aggies in March Madness
By Ashley Dorius STATESMAN REPORTER
Utah State University Men’s Basketball lost 72-47 to the UCLA Bruins on March 20 during the NCAA tournament. The game was held in Lexington, Kentucky and was the first round of March Madness. USU was seeded No.10 and UCLA No. 7 in the Midwest bracket. The game was attended by 16,258 fans.
UCLA got the tip-off and first points of the game with a 3-pointer from Dylan Andrews.
The Aggies got a 3-pointer from Mason Falslev to get on the board. They took the lead momentarily at 18:21 by three but quickly lost it to UCLA, who held it for the rest of the half.
Eric Dailey Jr. fouled Falslev, marking the game’s first foul. Later in the first period, Aubin Gateretse gave the first foul from USU.
The Aggies had a 6-0 run in the middle of the first half. Toward the end, that was met with an 8-0 run from the Bruins.
At halftime, USU trailed behind UCLA, 39-27. A defensive rebound from Deyton Albury with a pass to and layup by Falslev led the Aggies to be the first scorers in the second half. Falslev led scoring for the Aggies with 17 points.
A trade-in for Isaac Johnson early in the second half led to a rebound and pass to Falslev, who then made a jumper. After second-chance jumpers from both UCLA and USU,
the Bruins led 47-33 at 15:42 when a time-out was called. Then, breaking an almost one-minute stalemate, Johnson made a 3-pointer.
USU called a time-out as UCLA led 56-36 at 12:55. This lead was later extended by UCLA’s Skyy Clark making a 3-pointer. Clark and Dailey led scoring for the Bruins with 14 points each.
The Aggies then faced a 6:51-minute scoring drought, which Dexter Akanno and a foul shot broke. After a backand-forth, Utah State had an eight-point streak unanswered by UCLA.
UCLA made several 3-pointers and layups, bringing the score to 68-47 with 2 minutes left in the game. They then scored several more points, ending the game 72-47.
The Aggies’ 3-point shooting percentage was 12.9%.
Falslev discussed why USU’s 3-pointer game was off.
“You know, it’s hard to make threes when you’re rushed, and you know, it just didn’t fall,” Falslev said. “Unfortunately, you have to live with that.”
Aggie head coach Jerrod Calhoun sang Falslev’s praises, claiming he’s in the top two players he’s ever coached. Throughout the game, both teams had some solid defense. Calhoun shared his thoughts in a post-game press conference.
“I think a lot of the credit deserved tonight is with UCLA,” Calhoun said. “They’re an elite defensive team, but I thought the first half they made shots, you know, and so much this time of year is about shot-making, right?
And when you don’t make shots, it affects your defense. One thing about UCLA is they don’t make shots — they’re going to keep guarding. They’re very, very tough, and if their guards play like that, they’ll make a deep run.”
Calhoun shared while the loss pained him, he was still very proud of the team.
“I also want to credit our guys. I thought, you know, putting a group of guys, nine or 10 new players, on a roster, winning 26 games, going to the NCAA tournament. Most seasons never end the way you want them to, right?”
Ashloey Dorius is a sophomore studying journalism. She would like readers to know KFC was apparently started in Utah, and she feels lied to.
— ashley.dorius@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Jack Burton
Utah State players react to their 72-47 loss to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Lexington, Kentucky.
Coach Carroll: New chapter
By Carson Frost STATESMAN REPORTER
From being Wyoming’s Gatorade Player of the Year to becoming Utah State’s all-time leading scorer and enjoying a 13-year professional career overseas, Jaycee Carroll has had one of the most accomplished basketball careers in USU history.
After spending most of his adult life playing basketball in Italy and Spain, Carroll has recently returned to Cache Valley, a place he and his family always considered home.
“We always kept a base camp here,” Carroll said. “We’d come back in the summers, and it’s easy to fall in love with Cache Valley. Winter can leave a little something to be desired, but if you play basketball, it’s an indoor sport during the winter. It keeps you busy.”
Though his playing career is behind him, Carroll stays involved in basketball through various avenues. He frequently connects with former college and professional teammates, attends games at the Spectrum and interviews USU basketball players and coaches on his podcast “Unequaled.”
Carroll also serves as head coach of the Mountain Crest High School girls’ basketball team, where his daughter Bella led the team in scoring last season.
Carroll sat down with The Utah Statesman to discuss his basketball resume and his current role as a coach and mentor.
Aggies Going Pro
Carroll’s years at Utah State from 2004–08 contributed to the program’s growing national recognition. Under head coach Stew Morrill, Carroll set records and led the Aggies to multiple NCAA tournament appearances.
At the time, USU had seen several basketball players go pro, but it wasn’t until Carroll’s era it became a consistent trend.
“Utah State is a basketball school,” Carroll said. “If you want to come to a place for an unbelievable college basketball atmosphere — an opportunity to win a bunch of games and going to play professionally — Utah State has really become that.”
Carroll credits the overseas success of players from his era for demonstrating Utah State athletes could pursue professional basketball careers. His teammates Spencer Nelson, Gary Wilkinson and Tai Wesley each had years of success playing in top leagues around the world.
Carroll acknowledged Desmond Penigar and Curtis Bobb as two Aggies who had professional careers before his arrival on campus, but his time in the EuroLeague further cemented the potential pathways for Aggies in professional basketball.
“Spencer Nelson went and had a successful European career, and I was able to add to that,” Carroll said. “We’re going to NBA camps, and we’re getting on the scene, and we’re getting high-profile agents to come and look at us. I think it really opened the doors for us.”
Utah State has recently seen an increase in players going on to secure NBA contracts.
“I think the success I was able to have overseas got a lot of these Utah State players going, ‘Hey, there’s a future after Utah State if I want it,’” Carroll said. “You get a couple guys who go have success, [and] people start looking this way.”
The European Experience
During his time in the EuroLeague, Carroll played alongside NBA-level talent and stayed connected with some of the best players in the world.
Carroll played five-time NBA All-Star Luka Dončić at Real Madrid. He first met Dončić when the latter was a 13-year-old prospect and watched him develop from bench warmer to a top superstar in Europe.
“At that time, he was a little starstruck by me,” Carroll said. “We had just won some titles, and they were like, ‘Hey this is Luka Dončić. We think he’s gonna be pretty good.’ I got to see that progression from sitting on the end of the bench to being EuroLeague champion and EuroLeague MVP.”
Now in his seventh NBA season, Dončić joins LeBron James as the only two players in NBA history to average at least 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for their careers.
Carroll and Dončić have maintained their friendship, even after Dončić’s transition to the NBA. When Dončić’s Los Angeles Lakers played the Utah Jazz in February, he provided tickets for Carroll and his family.
“He would always come back to Spain and watch games when the NBA season was over — come to the locker room — hang out with us,” Carroll said.
Another notable teammate was Rudy Fernández, who found success in both the NBA and EuroLeague. Fernán-
dez played four years in the NBA and spent 19 years in the EuroLeague.
Carroll regarded Fernández and Dončić as two of the most talented players he’s ever played with.
“[Fernández] was so naturally talented,” Carroll said. “I had to work my butt off to get what I got. I’m not saying Rudy didn’t, but he was so naturally gifted that it just came easy to him.”
He also considers Fernández one of his favorite past teammates.
Carson Frost is a transfer student from Denver studying journalism. His family originally hails from Los Angeles, and he is a passionate fan of the Lakers, Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles. He loves writing, making music, hitting the gym and taking road trips.
— carson.frost@usu.edu
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY Jaycee Carroll
Jaycee Carroll, right, high-fives his teammates Rudy Fernandez, middle, and Facundo Campazzo, left.
Q&A: Aggie basketball alumni Danny Berger, Preston Medlin, Spencer Butterfield
By Carson Frost STATESMAN REPORTER
The Utah Statesman had the opportunity to catch up with former USU basketball stars Danny Berger, Preston Medlin and Spencer Butterfield at the 2025 Mountain West Basketball Championships in Las Vegas.
Danny Berger played 64 games with the Aggies from 2011–14 and averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He played professionally with Erdgas Ehingen in Germany.
Preston Medlin was a four-year Aggie from 2009–14, averaging 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He played professionally in Latvia, Greece and Germany.
Spencer Butterfield played the last two years of his college career with Utah State and averaged 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He spent time in Spain, Lithuania, France, Germany and Italy throughout his 10-year professional career.
The conversation with the three Aggie greats explored what it’s like to play in March, each of their professional careers and what they expected to see in Utah State’s matchup against UNLV.
ings. What was your guys’ approach and mindset coming into March? Did [former head coach] Stew Morrill do anything to prepare you guys?
Medlin: Coach Morrill was really big about always having kind of three seasons. You have your preseason, you have your conference play and you have your postseason, and I feel like the postseason is ultimately why all of us really like playing college basketball. The best thing about college is March, right? So, it was always a different mindset because it’s the end of the season, and so you’re like, “This season’s getting long.” There’s a lot of stuff going on, but also, this is the best time. You got to remember to enjoy it and have a good time.
Berger: It’s interesting in college basketball. You can have a pretty mediocre year until March, and then if you go on a run, it’s a huge success for your team, for your school, for the year. You could be .500 and then win your conference tournament, get to the NCAA tournament, maybe win a game. It’s like you had the greatest year and turned the whole season around in a couple weeks. So, that’s what makes it special. You see these teams that are on these runs, and they totally flip the script on their season.
Q: Even when you got to the pros and March was no longer the end of the season, was there some sort of internal clock with you guys where March hits and you still feel this urgency to step up your play?
Berger: I think we still get that. If you watch the tournament, it’s like, “Alright, I’m ready to go.”
Butterfield: Your energy naturally picks up. I will say that’s actually exciting. When you’re overseas playing, you start watching [the NCAA tournament]. You kind of reminisce like, “Man, I used to love it. I was good then,” and then it gives you energy for your pro season too. You’re just like, “I’m just going to be like I was in college.”
Q: I also wanted to talk about the time you guys were all with Utah State because it was an interesting transition period, and the team now is about to go through the same thing. You guys moved from the WAC to the Mountain West in 2013. How was that transition? Were there any growing pains with that, and do you expect similar growing pains or adjustments as the team now moves to the PAC-12?
Q: I did some research on how you guys did during the month of March. Here’s what I found. Berger as an Aggie averaged six points per game and shot 45% from the field, 52% from three and 86% from the free throw line. He was also on the All-Tournament Team with the PacWest while playing at BYU-Hawaii. Medlin averaged 13 points with 45/34/86 splits and had two games with 26 points and a game with 24 points. Butterfield averaged 14 points with 48/47/91 splits, having two of his best performances in March with 22 and 20-point show-
Butterfield: I feel like you always have a chance. Every team feels like they have a chance in March. That’s why you play basketball. I also think by the time you get to March, you kind of know your role on the team. You know what coach expects of you, and so if you accept that and embrace that by March, that’s when you can play your best basketball. I think that’s why all three of us probably have really good numbers in March — because by then we knew what Stew wanted out of us.
USU alumnus basketball player Preston Medlin talks during a group interview with The Utah Statesman in the lobby of the Embassy Suites hotel in Las Vegas on March 13.
Alumnus USU basketball player Danny Berger answers a question during an interview.
PHOTOS BY Kelly Winter
USU alumnus basketball player Spencer Butterfield answers a question.
Heartbeat of Spectrum Magic: Inside Utah State’s pep band
By Carson Frost STATESMAN REPORTER
When fans flood the seats at USU basketball games, they come for the electrifying atmosphere, the roaring student section and of course, the invigorating music of the Aggie Pep Band.
The tight-knit group of musicians plays an integral role in bringing Spectrum Magic to life by rallying the crowd and keeping energy levels peaking throughout the game. In a recent interview, three dedicated members of the band — Aiden Hancock, Ellie Tenbrink and Cameron Steere — shared their experiences and the unique camaraderie that makes their ensemble so special.
Seasoned trombone player Hancock has been heavily involved in Utah State’s music programs, including marching band, jazz band and pep band.
Tenbrink, clarinetist with over a decade of experience, has been part of the marching band and pep band for several years.
Steere, another trombonist with over 15 years of experience, currently serves as the student director of the pep band.
Their passion for music unites them, despite the band members’ varied backgrounds and interests.
“We all just love music so much that it’s never a chore for us to go and play and have fun,” Steere said. Whether in the grand setting of a football stadium or the more intimate but deafening Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, their enthusiasm remains unwavering.
Balancing a full academic schedule while committing to pep band responsibilities is no small feat. The band faced a demanding travel schedule last week when they played in back-to-back games: a men’s basketball game in Logan
on March 8 and the women’s Mountain West Basketball Championships game in Las Vegas on March 9.
“It’s not unexpected,” Tenbrink said. “With bowl game travel every football season, we get very little notice. We knew from October that we’d finish the men’s game and less than 12 hours later be on a bus heading to the next.”
Their secret to sustaining energy?
“We all napped pretty heavily on the bus,” Tenbrink said.
Despite the fatigue, their love for performing keeps them going.
“We all really enjoy being at the games,” Hancock said. “That excitement carries us through, even when it’s a quick turnaround.”
Performing at football and basketball games presents their unique challenges and experiences.
“For football, there’s a lot more preparation because we have a halftime show that changes every game,” Steere said. “We have scheduled rehearsals, whereas for basketball, we only have three rehearsals before the season starts. After that, we just show up and play.”
Another major difference? The atmosphere.
“At the Spectrum, we’re packed in tightly and really connected to the student section,” Tenbrink said. “It feels like we’re a part of them. At football games, we’re off in our own section, so the interaction isn’t the same.”
Utah State boasts one of the most passionate fan bases in college basketball, known for the famous Spectrum Magic. The pep band plays a crucial role in maintaining that high-energy environment.
“There’s a precedent we have to live up to,” Steere said “The student section is one of the best in the country, and the band is a huge part of keeping that energy high.”
Their involvement extends even further when support-
ing the women’s basketball team. With a smaller student turnout at women’s games, the band steps up as the primary source of crowd energy.
“We have our own set of chants and traditions that we use for women’s games,” Hancock said. “We want to make sure they feel the same support.”
One of the band’s most beloved antics is the “look at the crabs” routine, a distraction technique used when opposing players shoot free throws.
“It predates us, but it’s become a staple,” Steere said. “Sometimes more than half the band joins in. I’ve caught opposing players and even our own players laughing at it.”
The band finds creative ways to maintain sportsmanship while still making an impact.
“We can’t get technical fouls called on us, so we have to be a little more creative and silly,” Tenbrink said. “That’s why we do things like crabs and our ‘ball is bigger than the basket’ chant.”
Despite their separate roles, the band and the athletes share a mutual respect, understanding the value each of them bring on game day.
PHOTO BY Kelly Winter
The Aggie Pep Band tries to distract Colorado State during a free throw in the semifinal game of the Mountain West Basketball Championships at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on March 14.
Humans vs. Zombies on campus
By Mikey Bishop STATESMAN REPORTER
Before the widespread chaos caused by the coronavirus, which led to the suspension of regular student activities across campuses nationwide, the game of Humans vs. Zombies had established itself as a club at universities nationwide.
According to the club’s website, the group was originally founded in 2005 at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. The founders of the game sought a fun and engaging way to increase a sense of community and interaction on campus.
Although the coronavirus significantly altered campus life and disrupted many student activities like Humans vs. Zombies, the game has still managed to adapt and persist. In the years following 2020, while the game’s popularity faced challenges, a few universities across the United States have managed to keep the tradition alive with clubs continuing to thrive in select campuses, including Utah State.
According to the club’s website, in 2010, Brice Colby organized the first Humans vs. Zombies game that took place at USU.
This decision would affect many people who would attend Utah State long after Colby, including Anna Tuite, who has participated in the game several times and considers the club an important part of her life.
“Honestly, the club as a whole is fantastic … and most of my friends have come from this club. I would say my entire social circle is just a huge group of nerds having fun together,” Tuite said.
Tuite also highlighted one of the original purposes of the game.
“We get people from every different major to participate in the game. We get people from every major and
every background, and it’s just a place where anyone can fit in,” Tuite said. “The thing that connects us all is that we all think zombies are cool, and we’re playing an awesome game.”
This sense of inclusivity hopes to draw new participants each semester. According to Tuite, at the peak of the club’s popularity on campus, they would attract hundreds of students to come and participate.
“Back in the early 2010s, the highest number of members was close to 900. Now, we are probably at around 40–60 players that come to each activity,” Tuite said.
Even though participants have dropped, the spirit of the club has never been higher, according to Tuite, as they are persistently looking for ways to attract more participants to experience the thrill of the game firsthand.
“We are trying to put up a lot of posters — working with professors to do elevator pitches in classrooms,” Tuite said. “Recently, we have also been talking with the club at Florida State University to talk about different ideas they use to grow their group.”
The game itself has been able to stay around for so long largely due to its simplicity.
“It’s a week-long game of zombie infection tag. So it starts with two zombies. We have the zombie Harbinger, who’s the leader, and then you have the OZ, which is short for the original zombie. The OZ looks and sounds exactly like a human. No one knows they’re a zombie, but they can still infect you until people do what’s called ‘outing the OZ,’ which is where you figure out who it is, and then they start looking like a zombie,” Tuite said.
Once someone registeres to participate in the game, they are given a bandana, which helps all the other players identify what role they play. The zombies wear the bandana on their heads, while the humans wear theirs on their arms.
The club holds orientations where they explain the rules and clarify any other confusion in the week leading up to the beginning of the game. The first orientation took place on March 23 at 6 p.m. in the Richards Hall 2.5 Lounge. Details for the other orientations can be found on the club’s website at zombieaggies.wixsite.com/usuzao/dates.
Tuite hopes other USU students will seize the opportunity to join, believing the game offers not only an unforgettable experience but also a chance to connect with new people and create lasting memories.
“I have met so many people through this. I have made so many connections and friendships that I really believe will be lifelong. There are people that I still talk to who have moved states away since. It is just such an interesting experience that you really can’t get anywhere else,” Tuite said. “It is also great to get out and meet people. We always have people who come up to us and ask what we’re doing, and we get to tell them we’re zombies. It is always fun to see their reactions.”
Mikey is a sophomore studying journalism. He is from Virginia but is an avid Boston sports fan.
— mikey.bishop@usu.edu
The Humans vs. Zombies club announce their theme for this year’s game at a social at the engineering building on March 4.
PHOTOS BY Kelly Winter
Anna Tuite reacts to loosing a horse race during the Humans vs. Zombies club social in the engineering building on March 4.
Review: Swan Lake at Ellen Eccles Theatre
By Ella Stott STATESMAN REPORTER
Once upon a time in Salt Lake City, I was cast as Odile in a junior production of “Swan Lake,” and the younger version of me was able to realize her dream of being part of the arguably most famous ballet. Odile, the Black Swan, has a very fun albeit tiring evil solo, so that’s what I was on the edge of my seat ready to see when I had the opportunity to watch the production by Grand Kyiv Ballet on March 8 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre.
Her solo did not disappoint. None of it disappointed. In fact, it was ravishing.
“Swan Lake,” composed by legend Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger, tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who is cursed by evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. She and other maidens turn into a swan each day and become their human forms at night.
I really enjoyed watching Grand Kyiv’s rendition of this iconic ballet, which was led by artistic director Oleksandr Stoianov.
Grand Kyiv Ballet is a Ukrainian ballet founded by Stoianov in 2014. They have toured across the world, performing for royal families, politicians and public figures. As the war continues, they also partner with charities and other companies in Ukraine. They have conducted charity tours in multiple countries to raise money for Ukrainian causes and participated in a gala in 2022 where 300,000 euros were sent to the Alliance Urgences in Ukraine. Donations were also taken at the performance and made available online to help fund the Kyiv State Choreographic College and provide housing and ballet lessons for Ukrainian children.
Their commitment to providing support for emerging artists as well as the people of Ukraine definitely made this performance special. However, they stayed true to the charm “Swan Lake” has held for almost 150 years, paying homage to the splendor of this ballet.
While Odette is busy being cursed, Prince Siegfried has stumbled into the typical Disney dilemma: He has to choose a bride, and dang it, there are beautiful women with presumably good personalities who want to fill the role! Siegfried, however, believes that a happy wife does not equal a carefree life, so he runs out of his own party. He decides the best way to console himself is by hunting swans. Once the swan he attempts to hunt turns into Odette, the two fall in love. It’s a typical “Romeo and Juliet” of people unable to be together, but this time, it’s because one is fully a swan during the day and the other literally hunts swans to calm himself down. I can’t imagine good conversation between the two, but Odette needs to be married because it’s the only way to break her curse.
She says she’ll attend Siegfried’s ball the next day so he can choose her, and he’s okay with it now because of love. However, Rothbart takes his daughter Odile to the ball and prevents Odette from showing up on time. The sorcerer beautifies his daughter — sorry, Odile — to look like Odette in order to trick Siegfried into being with her instead. This way, Odette will never be married — I mean, she’s not really going to try, but that is how it feels being single sometimes — and so the curse for Odette and all the other swans will never be broken.
Siegfried accidentally promises Odile he’ll marry her, realizes his mistake and runs to Odette. Then there’s an epic battle between the prince and Rothbart while the swans lowkey just watch. The music during all of it, but especially here, is stunning.
Another special part of the performance was the end they chose to dance — it was full of hope, which is very different from the “Swan Lake” productions I’ve seen. When I was Odile, we did an abridged version of the ballet, and we had a corps of white swans and black swans battle it out. The black swans, led by my crowning force, reigned supreme. While this isn’t always how companies do it, western productions of “Swan Lake” often have evil
win out in some sense. Typically in professional companies in the U.S., Odette and Siegfried end up dying in “Romeo and Juliet” fashion because he can’t break the spell and they don’t want to live without each other. Their ascension to heaven together breaks Rothbart’s curse, and everyone else is set free.
However, Grand Kyiv chose to do a happy ending of the tale, with Siegfried breaking the curse and he and Odette sealing their marriage with neither of them as a dead or alive swan. I didn’t realize the happy ending was more typical in Eastern European ballets until watching this production, and I liked the hopefulness the company chose to showcase.
What stood out to me the most about this production, besides the stunning lines of each dancer, the unison of the swan corps and the exquisite partnering between Siegfried and whichever girl he thinks he’s interested in, was the costumes. They were breathtaking. I was in awe watching each unique outfit move on the stage, capturing the light perfectly and depicting the beauty that is “Swan Lake.”
While the soloists were phenomenal, many other dancers had a chance to showcase their talents, and it was clear Grand Kyiv has no weak links. Every dancer on that stage was full of artistry, obvious passion and clean technique, all of which is necessary to turn a dancer into a true performer. This version of the ballet highlighted a jester in the prince’s court, and he showed immense talent, incredible character work and even humor, which is often hard to come by in ballet.
To the dancers at Grand Kyiv Ballet, I say “bravo” to a stunning performance of “Swan Lake.” Their emotion, musicality and connection with each other reminded me what it is to be a ballerina and even had me missing my time as one. To dance is to tell the stories of humans. When they dance, they tell the stories of worlds.
Ella Stott is a junior studying English. In her free time, she can be found playing “Mario Kart,” making a smoothie bowl or complaining that she actually doesn’t have any free time. — ella.stott@usu.edu
A ballerina poses with her costume in an image from Grand Kyiv Ballet’s website.
Downtown Delight
Wangsgard is a first-year student at USU. She loves photography and taking pictures of everything. When not taking pictures, Alyssa enjoys being outside, running and hanging out with her friends.
Alyssa
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Photo by Jack Burton