Utah State University, Logan, Utah
USU holds first annual conflict forum
By Reagan Thomas NEWS REPORTER
Utah State University welcomed Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Irshad Manji, founder of the Moral Courage Project, to the first annual President’s Forum on Conflict and Conflict Resolution on Feb. 5.
Several hundred people viewed the forum in person and through the livestream on the university’s website. The speakers touched on the importance of managing conflict in today’s heated political environment.
“I ask our entire community to undertake person-to-person conversations about conflict and how to resolve them,” said USU President Elizabeth Cantwell during the event.
The Utah legislative session and other hot topics, Cantwell said, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, created the “perfect moment” for the forum on resolving conflict.
“We’ve forgotten how to disagree without hating each
other, and you can’t solve problems without healthy conflict,” Cox said during the forum.
Cantwell said when she was choosing high-level speakers for the event, Cox and Manji’s names came up. They had met before and had similar messages.
“We have ‘Disagree Better’ and ‘Moral Courage,’ and I can’t imagine two phrases that meet together better for the moment that we have,” Cantwell said.
As the chair of the National Governors Association, Cox created a new initiative called Disagree Better.
“We need to learn to disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering,” Cox wrote on the NGA website.
Manji created the Moral Courage College. According to its website, “Moral Courage means speaking truth to the ego’s power so we can learn from multiple perspectives, especially on issues that need solutions.”
Manji shared the five steps of moral courage with the audience, including breathing deeply, creating common ground, asking questions and listening. She said the early activists of the Civil Rights Movement practiced moral courage.
“They said, ‘We will educate our emotions,’ and what they meant was, ‘Look, we know that once we hit the streets, we will be punched and spat out and kicked and used as human ashtrays. If we stoop to that level, we are allowing our own emotions to get the better of dignity. Instead, we will take charge of our emotions,’”
Manji said.
Cantwell said because of the Utah legislative session,
THE USUSA UPDATE
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• The parking advisory committee voted unanimously for a 7% increase in the price of parking passes. The money will go to building a new parking structure.
• The Utah legislature is discussing letting students graduate with less than 120 credits.
• The council discussed possibilities of what could go in the old post office space in the TSC.
“the idea of moral courage was one that would be really useful for our community,” and she mentioned moral courage mentoring at USU as something that could be a future possibility.
During the event, a group of students protested outside of the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall, holding signs that expressed their opposition to the recent transgender bathroom bill and the diversity, equity and inclusion bill passed in the Utah House of Representatives.
Ellie Carpenter, a USU student participating in the protest, said she attended the forum and appreciated the message, but found it a little bit hypocritical.
“They’re trying to be inclusive and accepting of other people when we’re protesting because they’ve just passed two bills that are the opposite of inclusive and accepting,” Carpenter said.
Cantwell urged students to read the language of the bills passed by the Utah House of Representatives rather than follow the media’s narrative about it.
“That’s really, really important for all of us at this point,” she said.
Regardless of what legislation is passed, Cantwell said, “My goal is to create as many venues to talk about how we move forward in a way that empowers all of us.”
Cantwell said this forum will continue to be held annually, but other events may stem from it.
“Many of the deans are thinking, ‘Well I’m going to do something in my college too,’” she said.
Manji suggested the forum should be renamed: Instead of conflict and conflict resolution, it will now be called conflict transformation.
Reagan Thomas is an avid news junkie studying journalism and political science. When not perusing the latest stories of the day, she enjoys running, hiking and stargazing.
— reagan.thomas@usu.edu
• President Cantwell invented her own flavor of Aggie Ice Cream for her investiture. The flavor is cranberry, almond, chocolate and vanilla.
• The tuition board is meeting to discuss a potential increase in tuition. There is a proposed increase of 3%.
• The council did the second reading of the ARC Board Policy and made final amendments.
• The council also reviewed some amendments for the proposed USUSA constitution. They discused removing a section that would require USUSA elections candidates to be transparent about all donations.
PHOTO BY Claire Ott
Professor Irshad Manji speaks during the live podcast hosted by Elizabeth Cantwell in Russell Wanlass on Feb. 5.
Cache Makers event teaches young girls about aviation
By Essence Barnes
LIFESTYLES REPORTER
The Women in Aviation Club is gearing up to host their upcoming sixweek-long Cache Makers event, starting on Feb. 14.
WAI is a female-led chapter club at USU focused on bringing together women who may be interested in aviation. They hold fundraisers, hangouts and study sessions for their members, but the focus is on having a community of women within the world of aviation.
Maizy Abbott, the vice president of the club, is in charge of hosting the event this year.
“We’re all about supporting women in aviation, because it’s a pretty male-dominated field,” Abbott said.
Elle Roylance, the club secretary, hosted the event last year.
“When I was a sophomore coming up here, and I heard about it, I was so pumped because in my very first class, I was the one girl out of like 25 boys,” Roylance said.
Roylance said she found a community to re-
late to within the club, and she wishes this was something she had available to her when she was younger.
“Just being there for one another, and supporting other girls to join the industry,” Abbott said.
The club focuses on younger female students interested in aviation, and it encourages them to get into the field.
“Inspiring younger girls to become pilots is probably our main focus,” Roylance said. “Just getting a higher step forward at a younger age is what we all love to do for those younger girls.”
Once a year, Cache Makers, a 4-H nonprofit youth organization, partners with WAI to hold the six-week-long program at USU.
Roylance said Cache Makers is like a larger version of their Girls in Aviation Day event in September, designed to give girls more experience than they would get from a single-day event.
Once a week for six weeks, young girls interested in aviation careers will take part in hands-on activities and workshops. These activities include learning about plane maintenance, drones, aerodynamics and how to operate a plane. The girls will be able to use flight simulators, and they will even have the option to take a real flight at the end of the week.
Abbott said the program focuses on younger girls, and this year is no exception.
“We have ages from fifth grade to 12th grade this year, which is the biggest range that we’ve had, so that will be super exciting,” Abbott said.
According to Abbott, the club is trying to make the event more interactive this year, and focus less on PowerPoints.
This year, the girls will have the opportunity to explore planes and their engines hands on. They will learn about how to do maintenance on planes, including how to rivet. They will also be running their own flight simulator and will have control over the weather and flight path, teaching them how to operate the instruments within a plane during a flight.
The six-week journey will end on a high note, as the girls will even have the opportunity to use the campus’s CRJ simulator, or jet sim.
According to the university’s Fleet and Training devices webpage, “The RJ FTD offers a precise replica of the Bombardier CRJ 700 cockpit with flight controls and perfor-
mance that emulate the actual jet.”
“They’ll get to pick where they want to go to and from, and get to like move the aircraft and everything, so they’ll get that full experience,” Abbott said.
At the end of the six weeks, the girls will even have the option to pay an extra fee to take a flight in a Utah State aircraft.
is a first-year student who can’t come to terms with deciding a major. She enjoys reading, writing and spending money she doesn’t have on coffee.
— a02413313@aggies.usu.edu
PHOTOS BY Kelly Winter
Kyra Harrison throws a miniature foam airplane down the hallway during the first class of Cache Makers on Feb. 14.
Aviation student Maisy Abbott demonstrates lift during the first class of Cache Makers on Feb. 14.
Essence Barnes
Fiesta at Utah State University:
By Ashley Dorius LIFESTYLES REPORTER
Fiestas Americas is a celebration that commemorates the many ways to be Latinx. Put on by the Nuestra Voz Latina club headquartered in the Latinx Cultural Center, this celebration is their major event of the year.
The Nuestra Voz Latina club is in its first year since its creation as a combination of two previous clubs, Latinos in Action and the Latinx Support Union.
Gabi Rojas-Ortiz, a sophomore studying special education, is the secretary for the club.
“Nuestra Voz Latina is actually a brand new group this year,” Rojas-Ortiz said. “We’re still in the works of getting familiarized with everything. It’s been a huge merging of the Latinos in Action USU Chapter and the Latinx Student Union. Those groups made history before, but it was time to close that chapter and start a new one. It’s been very important to us this year to get our voices out there.”
Jimena Ortiz, a pre-vet major and head of marketing for the club, loves that the new club allows her to leave an imprint on the LCC legacy.
“I really did like that they merged because now it’s a new thing,” Ortiz said. “I’m a part of this new group, and I can make my mark instead of being another person in the club.”
Even though this is a new club, Fiestas has been an event at USU for more than a decade. It’s an important part of Latinx representation on campus.
“Fiestas Americas is an event that shows our culture, our history and then different aspects of different backgrounds of Latin America and America overall,” Rojas-Ortiz said. “I believe a lot of our members are really excited about this, and we can all put our mark on Fiestas.”
Celesta Hernandez, a sophomore majoring in technology systems, is treasurer of the club.
“We’re so excited to show people how Fiestas Americas is different this year,” Hernandez said.
There are many events happening at Fiestas, with the pre-event having art and quinceanera exhibitions, along with dance and pinata-making lessons. There will also be a Senor Fiestas, quinceanera runway, dance and music performances and refreshments of chips and salsa.
“One of our council members, Alandra, brought up a
quinceanera expo,” Rojas-Ortiz said. “It sounded good because, honestly, how many of us have quinceaneras on campus? We want to feel that magical moment again of feeling like a princess.”
Dance and music are major components of Latinx culture, so of course, they will be included at Fiestas.
“A part of the Latinx cultural center is the Latin Dance Club. They’re going to do dance lessons,” Hernandez said. “If you watch on our social media, they’re going to put a question out so we can take requests and put music on our event playlist.”
Yenny Lopez, the adviser for the club, said there will also be Zumba. For those who have two left feet, there will be performances from students that will showcase Latinx dancing.
“I think it shows our Latinidad,” Hernandez said. “We’re trying to do this year with more student-focused performances. We’ve enrolled a few different students, like musicians and dancers.”
Professor Alvaro Ibarra of the Caine College of the Arts organized a collection of art made by Latinx students and inspired by Latinx culture, which will be shown during the pre-event.
The Senor Fiestas event will also allow male students from different parts of the Latin America to show off pride for their countries, which Rojas-Ortiz said was important to celebrate. She said male Hispanic students were less involved when the club looked at membership, but the group wants to ensure they feel seen and represented.
Hernandez agreed with the sentiment, sharing it can be difficult for male Latinx students.
“Its hard to celebrate Latino men for more than their ability to provide for their families,” Hernandez said. “I hope this is more about celebrating who they are and where they come from and them as a person, not just what they can provide.”
This event is a vital part of Latinx representation on campus, according to club leadership.
“Fiestas is one of the most important events that students of Latin culture look forward to,” Rojas-Ortiz said.
“I think that representation, showing people in our community on campus and off campus is so important, letting kids know, ‘Hey, this is someone who looks similar to you, who wants to go into the same field, is up on campus, and you can look up to them. They did it, and so can you.’”
They love that the LCC gives them a place on campus, with both Ortiz and Rojas-Ortiz calling it a second home. Ortiz said she loves that there’s a special place on campus where she is surrounded by people who share and love her culture.
“It is so rewarding to be Latinx,” Ortiz said. “I want to motivate other Hispanics and Latinx to go to college. I want to be that figure to someone in the younger generation. I love my culture; there are so many amazing things about it.”
Lopez discussed how the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion makes the LCC a safe place by providing snacks, a place to relax and a sense of community and
PHOTO BY Jack Burton
Celesta Hernandez, left, and Gabi Rojas-Ortiz pose for a picture holding the Fiestas Americas event posters infront of the LatinX Center on Feb. 8.
Biggest Latinx party on campus
“One of the cool things about this center is that it is a student support center for anyone,” Lopez said.
Hernandez agreed with Lopez, sharing how they often go to the LCC to take a break, get a snack, chat with friends and feel community.
“I feel like everybody here is so nice and inviting,” Hernandez said. “Because, at one point, we were all a student who didn’t know anybody.”
Hernandez said their experience in being Latinx taught them love and acceptance.
“I’ve learned to be so accepting,” Hernandez said. “You have what you have, but I feel like I’ve made it so much. It’s about having a lot of love and resilience; that’s what builds community.”
Hernandez said being a minority on campus was difficult, but they appreciated all the help they received.
“I feel like it can be hard to feel like a minority on campus, but it’s been really nice to see how people from the community and other students have been so willing to help xus with planning and being great resources that we can depend on,” Hernandez said. “This wouldn’t be possible without all the help we’ve gotten.”
Rojas-Ortiz said she loved learning she could do anything.
“Even though planning it has been a little stressful, it’s been really fun,” Hernandez said. “I’m excited to see how it rolls out. Buy your tickets.”
They said if you have any interest in Latinx culture, Fiestas is worth checking out.
“If you’re interested in learning more about Latin culture, come,” Rojas-Ortiz said.
Fiestas Americas will be held on Mar. 2, with the preevent from 5:30-6:45 p.m. and the regular party from 7-10 p.m. The pre-event is free, while the regular event is $5.
Ashley Dorius is a first-year student studying English with a teaching emphasis. A Nebraska native, she loves exploring old bookstores, quoting New Girl, eating soft pretzels and being a Swiftie.
— ashley.dorius@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Jack Burton
Gabi Rojas-Ortiz, left, and Celesta Hernandez pose for a picture holding the Fiestas Americas event posters in the LatinX Center on Feb. 8.
Student group leads Valentine’s Day fundraiser, proceeds to go to Kauri Sue Hamilton School
By Ella Stott LIFESTYLES REPORTER
Roses are red, violets are blue, no one does Valentine’s Day like Aggies do!
This Valentine’s Day, one group of students showed their love by hosting the Charity Berries fundraiser.
In the managing people and organizations class, groups of students were given the project of developing a business and donating the proceeds to charity. One of these groups’ businesses became the Charity Berries Fundraiser, in which they sold chocolate-covered strawberries and other treats.
Jacob Miller, a member of the fundraiser majoring in political science, said the group wanted to donate their fundings to a local charity.
“We wanted to make an impact,” Miller said. “We didn’t want to donate to a super big charity where money wouldn’t go as far.”
Jonathan Bundy, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, led the group in choosing which charity they wanted to raise money for. He suggested Kauri Sue Hamilton, a school in Riverton.
Kauri Sue Hamilton helps students grades K-12, as well as adults, who have learning or developmental disabilities. Its focus is on helping improve the quality of life for students and helping them achieve all they can.
Bundy said before his sister went to Kauri Sue, she hadn’t had good experiences at school.
“Kids would single her out,” Bundy said. “But when she went to Kauri Sue, she was so happy all the time. They took care of her.”
This fundraiser isn’t the first time Bundy has done a service project for the school. In high school, he did an Eagle Scout project for them.
“I’ve always loved Kauri Sue,” Bundy said. “Anything I can do to help them out is amazing.”
Once the group settled on their charity, they started planning what they would sell for their business.
Ethan Rawlings, a sophomore in aviation, said the original idea was inspired by lemonade stands.
“Let’s do something different,” Rawlings said. “Let’s do a bacon stand. We’d get a lot of sales.”
According to Rawlings, the group was excited about bacon, especially when they decided to craft the bacon strips into roses.
However, when Bundy tried it out, the bacon didn’t cook correctly, and the shape of the roses didn’t work.
“‘Absolutely terrible,’” Bundy said. “Those were the exact words I used.”
Lindsey Scott, sophomore in communication studies, said the group navigated away from the bacon roses after the first awful attempt and decided to make Valentine’s boxes.
“Chocolate-covered strawberries is the thing we focused on,” Scott said. “We also did chocolate-covered Rice Krispie treats and pretzels in each box as well.”
This gave them the idea for their name of the Charity Berries Fundraiser. The group took presale orders for the boxes by handing out flyers with QR codes and both handed them out on the Quad and personally delivered them.
According to Miller, the group has learned valuable lessons in teamwork throughout the class, especially with this project.
“We’ve all been pretty open to listening, taking whoever has an idea and we’d run with it if we all like it,” Miller said. “We’ve been working together and compromising on things really well.”
Scott said the group project was a major portion of their grade, so they were all nervous about it before they were assigned their group.
“I remember seeing it and I was like, ‘Oh yikes, that’s kind of scary,’” Scott said. “I think we’re going to end up doing really well on this project, and it’s been so fun.”
Bundy said he was very happily surprised with how well the group dynamic turned out.
“The professor said something at one point like, ‘You don’t get to choose who you work with in the job field,’” Bundy said. “I got lucky with these guys.”
Apart from learning how to work well in a team, Rawlings said the group has also learned valuable business skills from both their class and their group project.
“I’ve actually learned how to make starting a business work,” Rawlings said. “Sales are supposed to be three times as much as the original.”
According to Bundy, the class has been valuable for his life, even as a mechanical engineering major who didn’t have to take it.
“I feel like starting businesses and working with people is like my passion,” Bundy said. “I guess I took it for fun.”
Bundy said the class has helped him feel more connected to both Kauri Sue Hamilton and students at USU. According to Bundy, students were getting excited about their cause when they were handing out flyers.
“The kids at Kauri Sue, they just love people,” Bundy said. “I think everyone’s been touched by somebody who’s disabled. It’s just like this special light that they carry with them.”
For more information about the Kauri Sue Hamilton school, visit kaurisuehamilton.jordandistrict.org.
Ella Stott is a first-year student studying English and journalism. When she’s not writing, she’s watching sitcoms, eating Greek yogurt and admiring Nebraska corn.
PHOTO BY Dane Johnson
Jacob Miller, left, and Jonathan Bundy, middle, hand out Valentine’s boxes they sold with their classmates for a fundraiser by the Quad on Feb. 14.
USU celebrates Traditions Week with Sweater Swap
By Layla Alnadar
LIFESTYLES REPORTER
On Feb. 8, Utah State University students gathered at the TSC for the annual Sweater Swap in honor of Traditions Week. Each year, events take place at the beginning of the spring semester to celebrate all the long-lived traditions at USU. Each year, events take place at the beginning of the spring semester to celebrate the long-lived traditions at USU, including high-stakes bingo and PoBev.
The event was held by the USU Traditions Committee. They worked together to craft a limited edition sweater tailored for Aggies in exchange for donations. Tickets sold out quickly as students snagged this year’s sweater. The gray crewneck features an all-lowercase ‘in a utah state of mind’ across the front and an all-uppercase ‘The person in front of you is an Aggie’ on the back. It was a callback to last year’s sweater design which listed a hundred different ways for someone to say they are an Aggie.
Ashlynn Smith, the director of the traditions committee, helped come up with an idea for the design.
“The design, I would say, is the hardest part of the entire event,” Smith said. “You want to do something that’s gender neutral that anybody could feel comfortable wearing. We played with the idea of having a sagebrush, a thistle and the rose.”
Coming up with a design is a collaborative process that involves everyone on the committee. They brainstormed graphic ideas and voted on which design
works the best. With the help of Bluelight Media and Aggie Print, this year’s design was created.
Trevi Jones is a member of the traditions committee.
“It was a combination of two people’s designs,” Jones said. “I liked designing the sweater. It’s fun to see everyone wearing their sweaters. Not everyone has a sweater: it’s from a certain year, so it’s kind of the mark of our 2023-2024 committee.”
The goal is to have something that is representative of the time and student body. The sweater is a motif of the year and symbolizes connection. Complimentary goods are enticing to college students, but there is something particularly special about a design that signifies community and belonging.
“I like to match,” senior AJ Evans said. “Last year, I definitely had the feeling of FOMO. People know I’m an Aggie now, and it can be a gateway to conversation.”
“I love the free sweater,” student Madison Kolstad said.
Grayson Crowther is a member of the committee. “The design was made by the traditions committee, so some contribution from everyone,” Crowther said. “It brings the community together, and we partnered with the sustainability club.”
The USU Sustainability Club offered soup during the event and encouraged students to bring their own utensils.
Smith said sweater donations this year will go to a number of different charities, including CAPSA, a non-profit organization that offers support and advocacy for domestic violence victims in Logan, a women’s shelter in Ogden and a clothing drive for children in Peru. She said donations are relied upon, and Sweater Swap allows students to give back directly to the source.
“A lot of these organizations just don’t have a ton of sponsorships,” Smith said. “They rely on these donations a ton.”
Layla Alnadar is a first-year student studying public health. She loves music, hiking, writing and the sun.
— a02414012@aggies.usu.edu
Hannah Hart hosts the havahart123 show every Thursday at 7 p.m. There’s a different, fun theme every week, specific to either the weather or holidays or whatever! Remember to tune in every Thursday at 7 p.m. on Aggie Radio 92.3 FM.
PHOTO BY Heidi Bingham USUSA officers hand out sweaters at the Sweater Swap on Feb. 8.
USU races to zero waste in nationwide
By Maren Archibald NEWS REPORTER
Along with a goal to be carbon neutral by 2040, Utah State University is racing to zero waste this semester.
Campus Race to Zero Waste is a collegiate sustainability competition measuring the waste generated on college campuses across the country.
Maggie Eguko, marketing and community outreach director for USU Sustainability, said USU has participated in the competition since 2018.
During the competition, which started on Jan. 28 and runs until March 19, the sustainability office submits a weekly report of how much waste the campus has generated.
“We actually weigh all of our waste here on campus, so we know the exact amount of tons that we have in waste on any given week,” Eguko said.
One competition category measures waste diversion, or how much material is recycled instead of trashed.
“Every single week, we report how much of that is recycled, and whichever campus is the highest increase in recycled material receives national recognition and a bunch of other benefits in grants and money,” Eguko said.
According to the facilities website, USU currently
recycles around 26% of its solid waste stream.
“If we were to jump that to 50, or even 60%, for just these eight weeks, we’d be in the top fifth percentile for this competition,” Eguko said.
USU is the only university in Utah registered for the competition, but several universities in the Mountain West Conference are participating: California State Fresno, Colorado State, University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Wyoming.
Current standings in the challenge are public and can be viewed at campusracetozerowaste.org/scoreboard/ current-results.
“When you’re on campus, make sure you’re aware of the waste that you’re creating,” Eguko said. “It’s really important to make sure that as many people as possible understand what’s happening that way. Even if it’s only for eight weeks in the year, they’re looking at their bottles and figuring out whether it’s recyclable or not.”
As the competition goes on, the sustainability office will be hosting events and Snacktivities to inform and encourage students to have more sustainable habits.
On Feb. 8, in conjunction with the annual Sweater Swap, free soup was served with sustainable bowls and spoons.
Vegan Recipes and Collages night, an activity focused on reducing food waste, will be held on Feb. 27.
In partnership with True Blue Reuse and the Christensen Office for Social Action and Sustainability, the sustainability office will hold a book swap on March 6 to decrease paper waste.
“Every person who brings a book, gets a book,” Eguko said.
Along with waste diversion, the competition also has a few special categories. One of these is Game Day Basketball, a one-day challenge measuring the waste diversion from a single basketball game.
To promote the challenge, Eguko said the sustainability office will be hosting a sustainability tailgate in partnership with the HURD before the men’s basketball game versus Air Force on March 1.
“We’ll have fun games — sustainability themed, we’ll have sustainable foods. We’ll be using recyclable materials,” Eguko said.
Caitlin McLennan, sustainability program manager, said one of the engagement activities at the game, called Trash Talking, is designed to help fans think more about their waste.
“We staff each waste place, like each trashcan, and we co-locate it with a recycling bin during the activity,” McLennan said. “We place volunteers throughout the stadium right on top so that way when guests come and they throw whatever they have into a receptacle, we can stop them and say ‘No, actually, that’s recyclable. This is the area where you put that.’”
Eguko said there will also be announcements during the game to remind fans to recycle their waste, which will be weighed after the game and reported to the competition.
“It’s a good way to, you know, intervene in fan behavior and get people thinking about where their waste goes,” McLennan said.
The competition also has a category for food organics. McLennan said USU processes pre-consumer organics in a large greenhouse airflow composter called The Pit.
PHOTO BY Heidi Bingham
Sustainable spoons and bowls at the Sweaters and Soup event on Feb. 8.
Waste receptacles as seen in the TSC Hub on Feb. 15.
nationwide sustainability challenge
The waste is turned by a large auger, and the whole process takes about six weeks.
“We can only process veggie scraps, fruit scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, eggshells — anything that is not a meat product or dairy and doesn’t have a ton of oil,” McLennan said.
USU Landscape Operations and Maintenance then uses the compost, along with other green waste from pruning, trimming and mowing, for fertilization around campus.
“Shane (Richards) is our LOAM manager, and he is very, very proud of our circular landscape system,” McLennan said. “It’s like 95% there, and we are working and interested in actively having conversations about expanding our compost program.”
McLennan said although there aren’t currently “diversion receptacles,” or recycling bins, in USU’s athletic spaces, it’s something she’s actively working on.
“You can’t blame fans for not participating in a recycling program if you don’t set the table,” McLennan said. “You have to have the infrastructure in place before any sort of measurement needs to happen.”
McLennan said USU President Betsy Cantwell recently moved her position as program manager from facilities to the Office of the President “to try and integrate sustainability more holistically throughout the university.”
The campus recycling team, which is staffed by two to four students each semester, monitors the bins around campus and sorts the collected materials. If students see overflowing bins, they can contact the team by calling (435) 797-2011.
McLennan said USU only recycles #1 and #2 plastics, which includes soda and water bottles, milk jugs and shampoo bottles. They also recycle cardboard, paper and aluminum.
“It takes a village,” McLennan said. “I totally understand where people will be confused and we’d have high contamination rates, because it’s different every-
where you go.”
To help reduce contamination in campus recycling bins and help the recycling team, McLennan said students should break down their cardboard, avoid recycling containers with a lot of food residue in them and double check the plastics number.
“Check before you chuck,” McLennan said. “When in doubt, throw it out.”
A chart of which materials USU recycling accepts and how to correctly recycle or dispose of them can be found at usu.edu/facilities/recycling/recyclables.
Beyond the competition, McLennan encourages students to get involved with sustainability in whatever way interests them.
“However it makes sense to you to participate in climate action is the way that I tell people to get involved — if that’s voting or organizing or getting involved with SOSNR (Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources) or the sustainability club,” McLennan said. “If you can get a sustainability course under your belt, try and understand how complex the problem is.”
Eguko said although students may find it hard to put forth effort into a place they are only living in for a short amount of time, sustainability and climate action matter all over the world.
“Sustainable efforts are something that affect every-
one worldwide, not just little Logan,” Eguko said. “So even if you’re not staying here longer than six months, that waste that you contribute, those carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide emissions that you put out, they’re still going into the same atmosphere that you breathe when you go home.”
Ultimately, McLennan said when it comes to climate action, organizations have more obligation to act than individuals do.
“It’s not your responsibility to do anything,” McLennan said. “It’s an organization’s responsibility to decide that’s their prerogative, right — that that’s something that they’re interested in investing in and will make a priority for the whole institution.”
Maren Archibald is a senior studying technical communication and rhetoric. She loves McDonald’s Coke, and she hates being perceived.
— maren.archibald@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Caitlin Keith
Andy Hill helps USU basketball climb
By Henry Wright SPORTS REPORTER
Newly promoted associate head coach Andy Hill had big career aspirations as a young boy. When people asked Hill what he wanted to be when he grew up, he gave them two responses: a basketball coach or a truck driver. Inspired by his father, who was also a basketball coach, Hill chose to pursue the same path, largely because of the human element of the profession. “Ultimately, I chose coaching, and for me, it’s about seeing people be successful and seeing them be happy
you don’t get to determine everything that just happens.”
Utah is not an unfamiliar environment for Hill after spending 10 seasons at the University of Utah as an assistant coach. Hill joined the Utes’ staff prior to the 201112 season following a disappointing 13-18 season by the “Runnin’ Utes.” Hill’s experiences helping to rebuild the program have helped him make the transition to Utah State easier.
“Utah was unique because we took over the program at a time when things were a little bit in turmoil. It was also back in the old days when you had to sit out for a year if
Hill’s connections he made while at the University of Utah certainly helped the Aggies land guard Ian Martinez in the transfer portal upon Sprinkle’s arrival in Logan. Martinez was first introduced to Hill during his initial recruitment out of high school before he committed to play at Utah under Hill and the rest of the staff. After turnover with the coaching staff at Utah following the 2020-21 season, Martinez transferred to the University of Maryland, but did not forget about the relationship he established with Hill.
Hill’s promotion to associate head coach at USU came on Jan. 26. In a video on usubasketball’s Instagram account, Hill was informed of the promotion by graduate guard Darius Brown II during a team huddle following a meeting, after which Hill was showered by water bottles poured on him by the team in celebration.
Hill is excited about the show of confidence from Sprinkle, but recognizes he could not have achieved the promotion without the help of everyone around him.
“First off, I’m very appreciative. But second off, it’s not about me, you know, it’s about the players and the team,” Hill said. “It’s the same message I would tell them. I think as a coach, you have to practice what you preach. I’m super appreciative of Danny and his recognition, but for me, it’s all about the team and seeing the team do well.”
It might not be as close to his lake house as he would like, but Hill has grown to love coaching the current team at Utah State because of the spirit and character his players have shown while also appreciating being uplifted by them sometimes.
“Sometimes, you go through life and it’s hard being an adult some days, right? I mean, there’s stuff going on in the world. There’s stuff going on in your personal life. Different things, like they’ll lift you up. That’s what’s fun about coaching,” Hill said. “As far as a group, they come pretty much every day, bring energy, bring some passion. They have character. It’s fun to be around them, and they lift you up and make it fun, so credit to them.”
Hill and Sprinkle have exceeded outside expectations of the program in their first season leading the Aggies after being picked to finish 9th in the Mountain West preseason media poll.
USU looks to improve their chances of winning a regular season Mountain West championship and NCAA tournament appearance this week. The Aggies take on San Diego State in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. before traveling to Fresno State to play the Bulldogs on Saturday evening.
Henry Wright is a junior studying political science, American studies and anticipatory intelligence. He loves to travel, watch sports and spend time outdoors.
Hockey club funds and runs themselves
By Addie Hemsley SPORTS REPORTER
Utah State club sports do not receive the same funding as school-sanctioned sports, forcing players to provide most of the funding. Despite facing financial hurdles, USU hockey and their supporters have found innovative ways to fundraise and strengthen their program.
ScyTek Laboratories and Summit Pizza Co. During the game, the team highlights their sponsors during power plays and penalty kills.
“We put their logo up on the screen and our PA announces something like, ‘Your Aggies are on a Summit Pizza Co. powerplay. Summit Pizza Co. is a proud sponsor of the Utah State Hockey Club’, ” Woolcott said.
All sponsors are announced the same way throughout the games, simply listing their names followed by “…. are
ahead of the national tournament last year, allowed students, parents and Aggies fans to donate funds to support the team’s travel expenses.
“We were very fortunate to receive around $23,000 from the community and alumni last year,” Farr said. “This year, we plan on utilizing the Aggie Fund again as we strive to qualify for the National Tournament once more.”
Utah State hosted the Mountain West College Hockey League Championship tournament from Feb. 8-10 at the
Addie Hemsley is a junior studying english creative writing and journalism. In her free time, she loves watching movies, reading, writing, hanging with friends and playing all types of sports.
— addie.hemsley@usu.edu
Yep. I am one of those girls who has an obsession with the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series. But I attribute my newfound love of reading entirely to this series. I hadn’t picked up a book that I thoroughly enjoyed in years before stumbling upon these masterful novels. But, in a bit of an unpopular opinion, the last book in this universe, A Court of Silver Flowers, is my absolute favorite. The entire series is labeled as a young adult romance and I love a good romance novel — but this book in particular really hit home with the themes it presented. This book to me was such a red herring to the rest of that series in the best way possible.
been weighing her down for so long. Coincidentally, she happens to know a handsome battalion chief who agrees to train her in combat. It is important to note that women are generally not allowed to join in fighting the war because they are seen as weak and fragile. This lights a fire (literally) in Nesta, and she becomes determined to fight alongside her male counterparts. During this time, she also meets Emerie and Gwyn, who are both stuck in the shadows of their past like Nesta. She invites them to start training with her, and they quickly bond over their similar stories of struggle.
As they get stronger physically, so does their friendship. The girls all find training as an outlet, a way to forget
“Sometimes the greatest battles are the ones fought within ourselves.”
We follow the whirlwind journey of Nesta, who is the oldest of the 3 Archeon sisters and is usually described as stubborn or mean. In previous books, we don’t see a lot of Nesta since the story primarily focused on the middle child, Feyre. When we do, it isn’t usually positive. And I’ll be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of her character while reading the previous books, so I was curious to know what Maas had in store for her. Not to mention this is the largest book in the ACOTAR series, so there was seemingly a lot to unpack about Nesta and her future.
As we enter into the world of Nesta Archeon, we discover a few things right out of the gate: she enjoys reading romance novels, as one does, and she is fighting some serious demons. As we keep learning about her, we also discover she has a lot of grit. She desperately wants to overcome the demons that have
— Sarah J. Maas
about their troubles and focus more on becoming warriors. It becomes their coping mechanism, and they all slowly begin to find peace in the chaos that is in their minds.
All the sneaky underlying themes like friendship and overcoming mental health battles become so intricately laced with fun and love that they were easy to overlook initially. But I find Maas wickedly talented for being able to intertwine something like romance with real-life struggles together so beautifully into one book. We even see Nesta dealing with the weight of losing her father and having massive regrets about things she wished she would’ve done sooner with him.
Nesta had to rebuild herself as a woman of power and mold herself into a character that readers felt a connection to. Something that helped with fostering that newfound love is her blossoming relationship with
that handsome trainer. I personally loved seeing their relationship blossom as their training sessions turned into therapy sessions, and we watched as Nesta opened up to someone for the very first time in the whole series and how she finally had someone who she felt was proud of the woman she had become by the end of the book. Maas said, “sometimes the greatest battles are the ones fought within ourselves.”
From Nesta’s love of reading to fighting, she becomes so relatable that I just got sucked into this crazy plot much faster than normal. This book started as a break from reality, but once I finished, I felt like I could fight a war, find love and overcome struggles in just one day. This is my favorite book in the series. I highly recommend this book, along with the series, to anyone who is looking for their own little oasis of love and female empowerment.
Heidi Bingham is a senior studying journalism with a social media emphasis. She was recently voted most likely to become a soccer mom by her friends at a Galentine’s party and is proud of it.
-heidi.bingham@usu.edu
PHOTO BY Tanner Unsworth