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Utah State University • Logan, Utah
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Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013
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Festival of lights celebrated at USU 4By Courtney Kearns staff writer
The Indian Student Association put on the annual Diwali event Saturday in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom. The event included a full-course buffet with a planned program of music, dancing and cultural celebration. Diwali, also referred to as The Festival of Lights, is a Hindu festival celebrated widely among Indian culture. John Manoha, Indian Student Association President, said the event is the celebration of the victory of good over evil, marking the return of a religious king who was exiled from his kingdom. Lights are an important part of the festival because they hold significance to Indian culture. At the beginning of events in India, lights are used both physically and symbolically to take away the darkness. Diwali celebrates this tradition, Manoha said. The celebration in India begins with fireworks and focuses on different types of food and dance. The purpose of the event is to share Indian culture with others, he said. “From my personal standpoint, under the name of Diwali, we are sharing our culture, portraying our traditions and showing people what we are about back in India,” Manoha said. “The Diwali celebration at Utah State is a time for Indian students to come together and share our cultural traditions with domestic people here in Cache Valley
Samantha Behl photo THE INDIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION hosted Diwali, also called the Festival of Lights. The event celebrates the ancient triumph of good over evil. Guests were fed a full-course meal and enjoyed traditional dance and musical performances.
and portray what it means to be Indian.” “Geographically there are a lot of differences,” said Lalitha Chilakamarrie, a graduate student studying management information systems. “I come from Hyderabad in southern India,
which is hot and tropical. Here it snows a majority of the year, which makes life a little bit difficult for me. I find most everything the same except that in other places, all of the shopping malls close at 10 p.m. or later. Here in Logan every-
Edith Bowen and USU give aid to the Phillipines 4By Mariah Noble staff writer
The typhoon in the Philippines last week left thousands dead and survivors in need of food, shelter and supplies, according to news sites. Among the survivors are USU’s own Lyssa Bevan, Morgan Parrish and McCall Eldredge. The three were in the Philippines as student teachers at a university when the disaster hit. Stacie Cannon, Bevan’s sister and former Aggie, said she didn’t sleep the night the storm was scheduled to hit. “She’d been in a typhoon before when she served an LDS mission in the Philippines, but it wasn’t near this big,” Cannon said. “When she called the next day I was just so relieved, so glad that she was okay.” Cannon said Bevan and her companions have been trying to help in the rescue effort ever since by asking for donations to buy and deliver supplies. One such request motivated six fifth-graders from the Edith Bowen Laboratory School to hold a bake sale on USU’s campus. Noelani Hadfield, one of the fifth-grade students and organizers of the event, said Bevan is their neighbor and goes to their church. “I just think it would be terrible to not have a home and be living on the streets and not having supplies or anything,” Hadfield said. She said this year the theme they have at school is “Kids are heroes.”
She said she feels like this project, along with others her schoolmates have put on, help them to fill that role. “Lots of people can be a part of this,” Hadfield said. “They can be heroes.” Hadfield said regardless of how much money they made at the bake sale, it would be a success because every dollar goes a long way. She and Cannon said a dollar in the Philippines could buy a haircut and
Noelani Hadfield Edith Bowen student
“ Lots of people
can be a part of this. They can be heroes.
”
fish or rice to feed a family. Hadfield’s mother, Tracy, said about 25 people donated goods to be sold at the bake sale. They raised more than $271 to be donated to the relief effort. Candice Bahm, Bevan’s former roommate and a grad student in social work, said the experience has
jSee PHILLIPINES, Page 2
thing closes around 7 p.m. Apart from that, everything is similar to home. The people are very nice, very helpful. I’m liking everything here.” After graduating with her master’s degree, Chilakamarri plans to stay in Utah
with her husband and find work with an international company. At the event Indian students and guests from the community were dressed in traditional Indian clothing. At the commencement of the celebration, a lamp
lighting was held for symbolic purposes, dinner was served and students put on a program of traditional music and dance. Rajee Turie, a management information systems graduate student, is a classically trained Bharata Nateyam dancer. “Dance is showcased as an important part of Indian tradition because different styles of dance identify with different parts of the country,” Turie said. “In India there are more than 15 types of classical dances, and each state has their own particular style.” Diwali is an important time for the Indian Student Association to represent their country through their traditions and open the minds of others to explore India. The festival is about sharing cultures, Manoha said. Tickets to the event were $17 and included a full-course meal of traditional cuisine. It also offered a quintessentially Indian program which explored typical Indian tradition. “The only struggle we had with planning and executing the event was with the ticket price, so this year we made a two-for-one deal,” Manoha said. “An international student who brought a domestic student was allowed two tickets for the price of one. The purpose of this and the entire event was to promote diversity and make friendships within different cultures.” – courtney.kearns@aggiemail. usu.edu Twitter: @courtykearns
EC talks about the future of elections 4By Danielle Manley
assistant news editor The election bylaws for 2014 were presented during the rescheduled USU Student Association Executive Council meeting Monday at 7 a.m. The council spent the majority of its time discussing campaign regulations during student elections. Sonina Hernandez, organizations and diversity vice president, said she didn’t understand why it was not allowed for students to campaign inside off-campus buildings with posters and flyers, but they are allowed to post large banners outside the building with permission. “Why are we regulating what’s inside and not outside?” said Casey Saxton, public relations and marketing director. “I see some value, not being able to drop random campaign materials without getting permission.” Both Saxton and Charley Riddle, athletics and campus recreation VP, agreed with Hernandez’s point. “Now that Sonina brings this up, I see nothing wrong if a student wants to put a poster in a lobby,” Riddle said. The council started discussing campaigning with posters and flyers in off-campus buildings and it led to a broader conversation about regulating any off-campus election activity. Administrative assistant Trevor Olsen said he was worried students with connections to certain businesses would gain
jSee USU/SA, Page 2
Smoke-free campuses trending 4By Zack Oldroyd staff writer
The Great American Smokeout, an event held across the country for people who want to quit smoking, came to USU on Thursday, Nov. 21. “The Great American Smokeout is an event put on throughout the United States for people that want to make this their quit date, to quit tobacco use or to quit smoking,” said Ryan Barfuss, USU prevention specialist. Barfuss and his fellow Student Health and Wellness Center staff were on the Taggart Student Center Patio handing out information, “quit kits” and promoting a tobacco-free campus. “We know the national trend throughout the United States is thats where a lot of the universities, the major universities, are heading,” Barfuss said. “A lot of the big universities throughout the United States have already become tobacco-free, yet Utah is kind of struggling along to catch up to that trend. I think we should be one of the ones leading the way.” Barfuss said they had previously attempted to make the TSC Patio and the area around the Merrill-Cazier Library smokefree, but they ran into a few roadblocks. “We’re now trying to get more administration support and, of
Taylor Murray photo USU PREVENTION SPECIALIST RYAN BARFUSS stands on the TSC Patio on Thursday to host the Great American Smoke Out. The event promotes tobacco-free campuses around the country and aids smokers who want to quit.
course, student support,” Barfuss said. “The administration wants it being student led. We have a very strong support with the students to lead the way toward a tobacco-free campus.” While some students support the idea of a smoke-free campus, others are opposed to the idea. Ted Tompkins, a freshman studying computer science, expressed
concerns that the smoking com- any entrance is sufficient,” said munity of USU would be very Charles Hopkins, a senior studyupset if the smoke-free campus ing agriculture and business. “I don’t think we should impose on came into effect. “It’s kind of ridiculous overall,” people’s rights to smoke outside, Tompkins said. “Smokers will whether it be on campus or off campus. I’m not a smoker myself, find a place to smoke up here.” He said they at least have to find but I don’t think that is something we can control.” a place to smoke outside. “I think the current rule of no smoking within 25 feet of – zack.oldroyd@aggiemail.usu.edu